By V.S.Atbay
OKAY, so you don't like Mondays. Granted. Why would you want to roll out of an easy breezy weekend, sleeping in late and doing exactly what your heart desired only to head into the first day of the work week at 9:30 am. 9:00 am if your lucky!
Even 7 loads of laundry on a Saturday afternoon sounds more appealing...right?? Well, there's a method and a good reason to every madness. It all depends on THREE things. ATTITUDE, ATTITUDE AND ATTITUDE And a POSITIVE one at that!
So here is a list of ten reasons how you can turn your Monday into YOUR ADVANTAGE and why Mondays are actually great. YES - You read that right.
1) MONDAYS OFFER SECOND CHANCES
Mondays offer you a FRESH new start into the week. This doesn't mean Friday will NEVER come. This simply means, you have a fresh chance to do things a tad better than the week prior and to improve yourself. If you started last Monday by yelling at someone and losing your temper, remind yourself not to allow such behavior and attitude to take over you again. Why start off on a bad foot at the beginning of the week? Why allow negativity and negative energy to roll right into the rest of the week? Find one thing you didn't like about last Monday, find one thing you think you could have handled better and make that positive change. Having a cranky morning is no reason to create a negative domino affect. Just imagine being on the receiving end of your own cranky mood. Not so fun anymore, huh?
2) MONDAYS OFFER FRESH LISTS
Take advantage of the beginning of the week and write up a fun or ambitious to-do list to accomplish by Friday. Embrace your challenges. Challenge yourself. The only opponent that can stop you is yourself! So make it fun and rewarding - Friday will feel a lot better once you see and feel your accomplishments.
3) MONDAYS KEEP YOU GROUNDED, MATURE AND RESPONSIBLE.
As much as responsibilities take the fun out of life, they are healthy reminders to keep you grounded and back on track. They also help remind you of your priorities right at the start of the week giving you a fresh chance to make a difference, regardless of the nature of your job, goal or passion. Without the feeling of feeling valuable, responsible, mature or grounded, you will start to lose passion and ambition and embrace laziness. This happens when you start to "let yourself go" and when you start to feel like you're not contributing enough to the world by doing your part. This can lead to some really bad habits. So Mondays are wonderful and necessary - they are the structural and foundational days that can keep your feet planted into reality. Consider the first day of the week to be your cement.
4) MONDAYS ARE ABOUT TOUGH LOVE & HEALTHY ROUTINES
Unless your a Virgo, you probably don't want to hear this. Every Monday prepares you, teaches you, sets you back on track and throws you right back into some form of routine. Whether you work at home, outside or go to school, you're NOT alone and ROUTINE helps to build healthy habits. Go ahead - ask any hard working Virgo out there!
It may suck to wake up with the roosters or an annoying alarm clock, but it will sure as heck feel great when you've looked back to see how much you've accomplished just by staying focused regularly. When you integrate a healthy schedule into your life - things start to happen. Yes, great things such as meeting deadlines on time, having more time to spend with your family, and having more time to spend with yourself - all because you kept your positive habits, goals and working habits in order, consistent and organized. When you implement a set routine, the rest of the week speeds through much easier, faster and productively.
5) MONDAYS HELP YOU BALANCE YOUR WEEK
Let's face it - without Mondays, you would most likely take the rest of the week for granted and not really appreciate the casual weekend breaks. How would you appreciate a break, when you haven't worked hard? And if everyday was a weekend, you'd soon start to get bored and dread that too! So look on the bright side. Mondays offer you the chance to balance your week from the get go! Work hard, play hard - and face Monday morning with a ROAR. (Or maybe with a cup of Colombian coffee first..Ugh...)
6) MONDAYS ARE NOT YOUR ENEMY - STOP COMPLAINING
Is it REALLY that bad? C'mon! Don't be like the polar bear - he's just looking for fish.
Society has given Mondays a really bad rep or is it rap? They have made 24 hours seem like the most scariest hours a human being can ever experience. Frankly? I think that's a tad too dramatic and hyper-sensitive - are we that allergic to the beginning of the week? Do we really need to turn this into Days of Our Lives???
NOTHING is that bad - not boring professors, not bad bosses, not writers block, not crying babies, not traffic jams, nothing - it's truly how we approach difficulties and challenges; how we react to circumstances says more about our own abilities and thresh hold for discomfort then the thing we don't particularly "like."
But in this case - yes, I'll be the defense lawyer for Monday - because she's truly innocent. Every Monday offers an opportunity for you to rip the bandage off your fears and issue's quickly by challenges you to face your bad habits, complaints, worries, boredom, anxieties and so on with courage and self respect. It's a clean slate. An opportunity to center your self.
So why not take advantage and turn the beginning of the week into something positive and healthy for yourself? Why join the ban wagon with everyone else and complain, cry and beat the heck out of this MONSTER called Mondays? Why use a simple day like no other day and act like a big baby? I find it ridiculous how our tempers soar as we treat others poorly, honk our horns in traffic aggressively, cry over spilled coffee and rush home to continue the cycle until Thursday hesitatingly arrives - and all this right before Sunday - the day of rest, contemplation and need I say "prayer." hmmm....interesting - what am I missing here?
7) MONDAYS ARE ABOUT PERSPECTIVE AND ATTITUDE
Okay, this one is short - if you THINK you're going to have a terrible head slamming day, then that's exactly what will happen, because your attitude and thoughts in the beginning of the week, determines the rest of the week. It you decide to walk on thorns, that's exactly what your attracting from the universe. Choose and pick your thoughts positively. Thinking negatively only draws negative attention to you. Thinking positive, will offer you a much more relaxing and rewarding week ahead. Go ahead. Give it a try. Breath and enjoy the journey.
8) MONDAY IS A BLESSING IN DISGUISE
A friend of mine once told me that someone is always better off than us and worse off than us - and I couldn't agree more. If you find yourself swearing like a lunatic on a Monday morning while you're stuck in a traffic jam, if you find yourself complaining about your job and cursing your boss every Monday morning, (or employee), if you find yourself resenting your professor for giving you mini Monday morning exams, if you start neglecting your craft and procrastinating because "it's Monday," and you're NOT in the mood, and so on, STOP. THINK. & CHECK YOUR PULSE.
Imagine NOT having such opportunities in your life. Imagine being homeless, jobless, unemployed and not having the opportunity to study, make money or be challenged. Take for granted much?
Imagine living in poverty, hunger, destruction, on life support hoping to see ONE MORE DAY. MONDAY doesn't sound so bad now, does it? Point being, you could be WORSE off - so appreciate the harder days - you've been given an opportunity to live boldly.
9) START AND END MONDAYS ON A POSITIVE NOTE
Rather then listening to horrible, negative, dark and gloomy news on the radio on your way to work, rather then skipping out on your first lecture, rather then telling someone off, rather then complaining ALL day about your terrible weekend or how you hate your gossipy co-worker, GROW UP AND ADJUST YOUR ATTITUDE. Why not listen to upbeat positive music on your way to work? Why not challenge yourself to check that lecture out or get to know your professor better, why not face and handle your issues and deal with conflict more maturely? Why not smile more, laugh out loud, do something spontaneous and make someone's day? Or make it feel like any other day of the week and go to bed feeling proud? Why be so political? Why be a mood killer? Why pout and curse? It's silly, over dramatic and childish, to start every week like this - and not to mention, unhealthy. I know hating a particular day of the week has become a trend - but look around you - who is observing your attitude? Yes, kids!
10) FREE YOURSELF FROM PRECONCEIVED NOTIONS
Just because it's a Monday, it doesn't mean it HAS to be a bad day, and it doesn't give you the right to complain and ruin everyone else's mood; it doesn't mean you have to act, think and walk like a stiff obedient robot either. Relax and Breath.
If you think like this every week just to FIT in with all the other MONDAY HATERS and engage in small meaningless talk about a single day- then go back and read number seven. I challenge someone to say - this is a great day! As apposed to the usual eyebrow raising, head shaking, I'm going to sigh and make it clear I hate this day to everyone around me. It's so out of date ladies and gentlemen - I think we're more stronger than that; strong enough to make positive and passionate impressions every day.
Mondays are about new opportunities, second chances, responsibilities that can make you feel important, useful and mature once you get into the groove - really. Give it a try.
It's about growth and preparation for the rest of the week, it's about re-cooperating from the weekend, it's about getting back in touch with reality (Thank God) and reminding yourself of your goals! It's also about looking forward to a great weekend.
Lastly, here is a fun dare - I dare you to take a different route to work, take morning walks before doing what you love, give someone a chance to prove themselves, listen to beautiful upbeat music first thing in the morning, make love, make breakfast, do a little dance and shake in front of the mirror and go out after work with friends (yes, on a MONDAY!), spoil yourself on the way home, do something kind for someone at work, appreciate and be thankful for another day, and last but not least...I dare you to LOVE YOUR MONDAYS.
Have a great week and let me know how your Monday went! ;-)
Yours Passionately,
Val.
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