As I write this it is Sunday afternoon. Monday is a tough day for many of us. The start of another work week. Back to the grind as they say. That is why the list above could be so handy. Ten things to be grateful for. I think reviewing these before bed and first thing after waking would be so helpful. Starting your day with a positive thought can make all of the difference.
Think about your actions in the morning. Is it a mad dash to get out the door? Even that, with a properly placed quote, or grateful reminder, can change our mindset we use to face the day. That is why I like those daily motivational calendars. You can peel off the paper to see the most inspiring thought. It sure is better than looking at social media or watching the news first thing in the morning. Find something that inspires you and has you fired up to live your dreams and chase your goals. This website is updated everyday, first thing in the morning. Feel free to subscribe and you will be greeted with inspiring thoughts 7 days a week!
“I got this!” Let that be our mantra today. Just three words to remind us that things are not as serious as they may seem. That despite how dire the circumstances may seem, we can overcome them with determination mixed with a little faith.
Whatever the challenge may be, look it straight in the eye and say, “I got this!” Notice the exclamation point at the end of the mantra. This is not one you are going to want to say meekly. Whether it is in your head, under your breath, or at the top of your lungs, say it with some passion and belief!
How many times have you doubted yourself on the ability to make it through a situation? How many times have you actually made it through? Here’s a hint, you’re reading this so you are still here. That means you have made it through 100% of the situations you have faced in life up to this point.
Today, and throughout the week, when facing a tough situation declare these three words, “I got this!” Notice I said declare. Not mention, whisper or say questioningly. Nope. Declare and know that you have made it through100% of the things life has thrown at you. Whatever you are facing is just one more thing, that despite how tough it may look, will not bring you down!
The end of the weekend is fast approaching. Too fast for many of us. Before we pick out a black mourning outfit to wear to work on Monday, let us remember that although we have left our 48 hours of freedom behind, we are starting something new. No, I am not talking about 120 hours in which we are in work mode. Although looking at the numbers, I do feel it should be a little more balanced. What it could be is the beginning of the most wonderful week of our lives. We never know what might await us in the coming days.
As you can see in the photo above, I recently returned from vacation with this beautiful lady. As the days get further away from being in the sunny Bahamas, I have 2 choices. I could lament the fact that it has been even longer since I have been laying on a beach after a breakfast buffet, or I can think that it is the beginning (and one week closer) to planning the next escape with my lovely lady. You may think this is splitting hairs, so to speak, and you may be right. Here is another truth – although both facts may be true, looking at them in different ways will give you entirely different feelings. Why not pick the one that makes you feel good?
Take the words of wisdom from the great Mr. Rogers. Every end is also a new beginning. We should work on fostering feelings of excitement for what is next in our lives. It will have us viewing life as we should, as one big adventure.
It is Monday! Depending on what time of day you are reading this, you may be dreading going to to work to start a long week away from the family, or coming back in exhausted after the first day back over the weekend. This can have you asking if this is all there is to life. Certainly, life has to be more than just waking up, paying bills and feeling tired! You are right. That is why we all need a new job. Don’t worry, you do not have to quit the job you have. That’s right, it is another job. Before you stop reading because you think I have completely lost my mind, let me explain. I think you might be up for this one.
I believe it was Les Brown who said “At a job they pay you just enough that you won’t quit and you work just enough that they will not fire you.” This seems to be true for a lot of people. Life can feel like a job. What is the most popular abbreviation for those 3 letters? Most of us have heard a J.O.B. referred to as “Just Over Broke.” In many cases, this is sad but true. In your life, we are going to change that.
Starting today, J.O.B. will mean something entirely different and it is your ‘job’ to make it a reality. That is ‘joy of being’. If we can work half as much at finding joy in our lives as we do to pay the bills, we will become richer than we have ever been! After all, the reason we go to work is to pay for things to bring us joy. Even things as simple as keeping the lights on and a roof over our heads. We should work at keeping the joy in our hearts as well.
This week, spend some time working to explore things that bring joy to your being. What really makes your heart soar and puts a smile on your face? Spend some time not only discovering that, but engaging in it as well. We all could stand to have that J.O.B.
Monday can be one of the toughest days of the week for many of us. That is one of the reasons we exist. Here at Secret2anamazinglife, we supply motivation and inspiration you can use to get you through, not only Monday, but the rest of the week as well. Today we are giving you this little bit of wisdom to ponder as you start the weekly grind.
What can make Monday tough for some of us is our coworkers. We all have one that can get under our skin. It might not even be coworkers, but people we encounter throughout the day. Customers, the inconsiderate person on the road in front of us, or a million other souls in which we share this planet with. They often provide us with plenty of opportunities to practice our character building skills. This is great and is certainly something we should be grateful for. Unfortunately, this is not easy to remember early in the morning before the coffee has kicked in.
Just remember two words – react or respond. One gives the control of your emotional well-being, your life and your day to the knuckleheads we were discussing earlier. When we react to what others do, we let them determine how we will feel and how our day will go. If, however, we decide to intelligently respond to their actions, we say something entirely different. We are saying, albeit in our head most of the time, “Despite your foolish manner of acting, I am not going to let it disrupt my rockstar flow.” In slightly cruder terms, it is like giving them half a peace sign, or maybe a whole one if we are really in self-control, to those who could ruin our day with their thoughtless actions.
Two words to remember for the week ahead – react or respond. One gives control of your life away. The other keeps control right where it belongs, with us.Who do you want to control your life? You or someone else?
I once heard someone ask the question, “Do you think Michael Jordan would have let comments on Twitter?” The point being that people like Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant in the sports world, and investors like Warren Buffett and Bill Gates in the business world, are too busy working on their own lives to concern themselves much with the opinions of others. If you have time to be upset for hours, maybe even days or longer, with what someone else is doing, or maybe even said, your life could use some more attention.
When I am in the middle of constructing my next book, which I am about 2 weeks overdue starting, I seldom have time for much else. When I am working on putting together a seminar, or what I am going to say on a television appearance, like I will be shortly, it does not bother me what Bob or Betty are doing with their lives. Why should it bother me anyway? My life has so much opportunity for growth and improvement, every second I do not spend doing that, is one more mine of gold I am not tapping. I am not so much worrying about Bob and Betty as I am not worrying about Neil. That is far more costly.
This week as we go forth into our working world, let us keep the focus where it should remain, on our world and improving our lives. It is only then that we will discover the secrets to an amazing life.
Today is Monday. It is a day of dread for many. Back to work after 2 days worth of freedom. The beginning of the workweek. Which, for many of us, includes spending a large amount of time at a place we don’t really enjoy, with people we also do not enjoy. Considering all of this, it is no wonder we start to get that feeling in the pit of our stomach on Sunday night, knowing what will happen once the sun rises. (or in my case, before the sun rises)
Here is the thing – Monday is no different than many other days. While it is true that it is the beginning of the workweek and having to wake up to an alarm, it is also the beginning of the opportunity to start earning money to put towards that vacation. It is also a chance for us to demonstrate our character and work ethic. When I say this, I am not talking about showing off, or sucking up to a boss or coworkers. No, I am talking about demonstrating our character to both ourselves and those whose opinions we value.
Every morning we overcome the temptation to throw the alarm clock across the room and bury ourselves further in the covers, we are demonstrating a certain amount of character and self-discipline. When we push ourselves to not only show up at work, but do a job that we are proud of, that gives us a self of pride. What does that pride do for us? It gives us a sense of self-confidence, which in turn will make the self-discipline easier in the future.
We would not be able to build our character, build our self-discipline and our sense of inner-pride without the challenge of Monday. It boils down to a change in perception. If we lived a life of sloth and convenience, which does sound tempting on occasion, we would be weak individuals unable to withstand the storms of life. Much like going to the gym to strengthen our bodies, waking up to Monday helps us to strengthen our mental and morale fiber.
Do not fear or dread Monday. Understand it is a chance to get better, to get stronger and to create the best version of you. It takes resistance to grow strength. That is as true when it comes to your character and self-discipline as it is for your body. Monday is not the scary villain, it is our personal trainer for our self-discipline and inner-strength. The payoff is not muscles, it is something more powerful. By using Monday, instead of letting it use us, we develop pride, self-confidence and the ability to rise above who we currently are.
Today is cause for celebration! At the beginning of the year, one of my resolutions was to have a blog everyday for the year. Do you know what today marks? The 365th day in a row I have posted. Some were long and detailed, some were short and sweet. For 365 days, there was a blog posted on this site. I did this for 2 very important reasons. First, you never know when you might need a bit of motivation or inspiration. I felt that I should consider that fact that every day people are facing struggles throughout the globe. We are followed in over 200 different countries. Surely, one of those people, in one of those countries, is having a tough day and could use a little lift.
The second reason I wanted to have a post for a year straight was to show some consistency. If people can see that you are dedicated to providing thoughtful content, they might be a bit more dedicated to reading it. That seemed like a fair trade. By posting everyday, I was also hoping we could continue to expand our secret2anamazinglife family. The more content I shared, and the more often I shared it, the more likely it was to reach people. My mission in life is to help as many people bring positive aspects to their lives as I can before my time here is done. Posting every morning would help accomplish that.
Like Eric Thomas says here, you can catapult a Monday win into a winning week, and then a winning month. That is one of the reasons you should not write off Monday. If you do, you will be setting yourself up for a week that is not winning. We have discussed the importance of consistent effort on this blog many times. You can’t have a week of consistent effort unless you start on Monday! This has transformed my way of thinking of Monday. Instead of an end to the joy of the weekend, it is a beginning of a winning week!
If you noticed in the title of this post, I did add “Kind of” to the celebrating. Why? Even though I have posted a blog for 365 days straight, the goal was to do one for the entire year. That goal was set on January first of this year. We are only a little over halfway for the year being complete. I am going to use this accomplishment to remind myself that posting everyday is possible. For the next 6 months, you will still have a post here every day. I look forward to serving you for the rest of the year. Please share your Monday wins with all of us.
Another start to another week. Only 2 more left in the year. We talk a lot on this site about changing our perception about Monday. I think we should face it like a big event. Like an athlete preparing for a big game. Can you imagine going into that with your head hung low, Energy low, and dreading the day? Your opponent would love to see that! How about a musician before a big concert? Imagine watching your favorite band walking on stage the same way you walk into work on Monday? Would not get you very pumped for the show, would it?
Weather you wake up looking like our rockhopper penguin in the first picture, like I occasionally do, or you are fighting off the bug that is going around, like Margie and I are, you need to show up with your A game. When i trained people as bartenders, or even to work with the public with the post office, I always reminded them to come in with a smile on their face and energy in their spirit. Nobody, with the exception of your therapist, wants to see and hear your problems. Les Brown said it best – “80% of them don’t care and 20% are glad it is you.”
That is not to say you can’t confide in a trusted coworker about a situation that is troubling you, when given the opportunity. As you walk into work, everyone has the Monday blues. The last thing that is needed is to add one more sad soul to the mix. Come in with energy. That way, if Monday tries to knock you down, it will have to reach a lot higher
The million dollar question, how do you walk into the place that often sucks your soul with energy? Take a cue from professional wrestling. Yes, I did just say to take self-improvement advice from wrestling. Whenever a wrestler walks into the ring they have a song cranking throughout the stadium. Think of what song you would use if you were a wrestler. Crank it up in your car before your walk into work. As Dwayne “the rock” Johnson says, “just bring it!” Maybe watch a motivating clip on your phone before you walk in.
Here is one last Monday thought to keep in mind. I heard a millionaire CEO asked how he went from an entry level position to the top. His answer? “Walk in like you own the place long enough and soon you will.”
Share what you do that gets you pumped up on Monday morning.
It is time to start the week. I always do so on little or no sleep. We can’t start dragging our feet. We have to focus on why we are going to work, and what dreams we are chasing.
As you start the week off, what dreams are you chasing?
SECRET 2 AN AMAZING LIFE 