A Case of The Mondays

Monday.

Monday kind of sucks...like a lot. Monday gets a bad rap, but let's face it, that rap has been well deserved. Monday is the beginning of the work week while contemporaneously ending the weekend. (Yeah, I said contemporaneously.) Translation; it's the end of the fun and the freedom while transitioning you to the routine and mundane. And Tuesday is Monday's ugly sister. 

But it doesn't have to be this way. For instance, if you are like me and you celebrated your hometown football team returning to the Super Bowl for the second time (#keeppounding), your Monday is pretty awesome. Everyone who knows me, knows that I am a huge Carolina Panthers fan. And it was so awesome watching them this season. Every Sunday they played (and won), made my Mondays more awesome. I have had coworkers congratulate me every Monday morning like I actually suited up and hit the field myself. Monday is pretty cool when your team is winning; and this brings me to my point. Find it, whatever it is that makes you keep going and makes you love your life. I think I have found it in several avenues of my life and I can admittedly say that I am the happiest I have been...like ever. 

I feel like I hit my stride and it's smooth sailing from here on out. Call it a winning streak because I feel like I am on it. And what does winning beget; usually more winning. So here's a few nuggets I have picked up from all of my reading and my very wise friends and family that keeps me focused on winning.

1. Eliminate the negative, and toxicity in your life and keep moving past it.  If s/he is a frenemy, hater, shade tree, or whatever term we have created, eliminate him/her from your life unapologetically. You only have to answer to your peace of mind for this. It can be anything or anyone, but just know it when you see it and do what you have to do to reclaim the space it takes in your head. 

2. Say no. But keep your word. Find time for yourself by making sure you aren't over-committing. But if you said you are going to do something, do it. Sometimes breaking your word can cause drama. And taking on more than you can handle only causes stress. My goodness, this was a huge learning curve for me. I like to do it all, but will no longer do so at my detriment. 

3. Unplug. Step away from the laptop, tablet and your smart phone and take part in some "Netflix and Chill", but in the traditional sense. (You should read this to say: relax and watch some TV, pervs.) Travel, or shop, read or catch up with someone. Whatever you do, remove the distractions going on around us.

4. Hang out with your favorites. So I got to see some of my line sisters for brunch at Buttermilk Kitchen on Sunday and I also saw my TFF for some BFF(Beer, Football and Friends) and I ate so much I couldn't eat dinner, but I felt so awesome being around some people I love...and watching my Panthers win. I had a whole day of good company and took a whole lot of pictures. On Saturday I had fabulous brunch at The Lawrence. I didn't leave a single crumb on my plate. The food was great and the company was better.

*Side note, please go to Buttermilk Kitchen and get the chicken biscuit. It will change your life. You're welcome in advance. 

5. Change your scenery. That could be as simple as taking a walk outside or as challenging as getting a new boo. Whatever it is, change is good so stay open to it. I like that I have changed as a person and I am excited about change in general, just look at my hair chronicles.

6. It's not personal. You are great. You are amazing to some people and not so amazing to others. But who cares? Be focused on being amazing to you and doing the best you can do everyday. You can't really help what people think of you and it's none of your business anyway. And trust me, for every one person who rejects you, there are at least ten wanting you on their team. 

So there you have it, the cure for the common case of the Mondays. Be well and be better. 

So this is a short one, I know. But I know a way to make this blog longer and a little more fun, or challenging to read. Turn this blog into a drinking game and take a sip every time you read the word "Monday(s)". Let's see if you can finish the post then.

Use Your Time Wisely

"I expect to pass through this world but once. Any good thing,
therefore, that I can do or any kindness I can show to any fellow human
being let me do it now. Let me not defer nor neglect it, for I shall not
pass this way again".~Stephen Grellet, 1773-1855
French-born Quaker Minister

Those hours I spent yesterday I will never get back. And I'm okay with that because all day yesterday I did exactly what I wanted to do for each and every hour of that day. There were things that I felt like I should do, but it's so rare for me to just do what I want to do; and by what I want to do, I mean relax. My weekends are normally packed solid with birthday parties, events, maybe even service activities, phone calls, cooking, laundry and everything else that falls under the errands category. I didn't do any of the aforementioned and that felt good.

That brings me to my next point and personal story. The only job I can honestly say I have loved up to this point was teaching. I loved the kids, the faculty and staff. I loved learning knew things the the course I was teaching. I loved coaching the track and dance team. I was so young when I was teaching, so didn't feel slighted by the lack of a paycheck. I was working 24/7. I was thinking about how I could tie current events into my lesson plans. I was eating, sleeping, and breathing teaching. I started back to graduate school and I felt like I was doing something amazing. I was making a contribution to society through my service to my classroom, and I got paid to do this. It was awesome. Then I started to need "things" because I was too immature to know any better. I needed to look in terms of material, as good as I felt internally. That means I needed more money.

We are all motivated by money. Society as a whole is motivate by money. Wars are fought over this, elections are won and lost over this. I am especially aware of this. Without thinking it through in its entirety, I left my teaching position and took a job at an insurance company. It was a huge pay increase. I could afford those "things" now. I kept working, I kept performing, I earned more. I moved, I earned even more. I switched companies, I earned even more. But I hated my job. I hated the company, I hated the work. Whilst being thankful for the paycheck and a place to go Monday-Friday, I hated the job. I got no glory from the work. I was an under-appreciated employee. I started to think about the harm this was doing to me and my family and anyone who ever has to hear or read my thoughts. Putting so much time and energy into the work I loathed made me cynical. I spent more time at work than I did at home and I hated every minute of it. That's time I can't get back. I started a pursuit of something better. And better, I have found.

Most of us don't like our jobs, but we are fearful of what it would mean to our households to pursue other things. Only when that fear is surpassed by what it would mean if we didn't pursue what we love, do we make changes. The challenge to making yourself a better person is to do what you love. Contribute to the world in a way that makes you proud. Love your career and if you don't love it, find a new one. If you feel good about yourself, you will feel uplifted in everything you do. Your family will benefit, your friends will benefit. Since infectious smiles get passed around more than the common cold, the stranger you smile at will benefit too.

kb