Monday, 9/18/23: Talking about preparing for rain

Happy Monday!

It’s a new week, which means it’s time for your next Monday motivation newsletter.

Read on below for some steps to a happier Monday, a short story and a roundup of positive thoughts to get your week started.

Three Steps to a Happier Monday

Each newsletter starts with three prompts to inspire gratitude and simple intention setting. Take a moment and jot down answers to these three questions. To give an example, I share my answers below.  

Step 1: What are three things I appreciated from the weekend? 

Step 2: What is one thing I can be excited about today?

Step 3: What is my intention for this week? 

GRATITUDE: I’m thankful for time to celebrate friends, time to relax and a slow Sunday yesterday. 

TODAY: Today I’m most excited for my run outside this morning.

INTENTION: My intention this week is to focus on my sleep – prioritizing winding down early and getting enough sleep each night.

Okay, your turn! And if you want to share your three steps, I am all ears. 🙂

Meaningful Musings: Preparing for Rain

Hi! Happy Monday 

I’m so excited to be back to writing this morning after a trip to Ireland (!) for fun, followed by quick turnaround trip to New York for work. Some very high highs these past two weeks, but I’m also very happy to be home and settled. I do love a routine!

Ireland was incredible. I included some of my favorite pictures from the trip below – but wow! What an amazing country. I hope I’ll be back one day!

One thing I really couldn’t get over?! The WEATHER! We seriously had blue skies and sun every day. I didn’t expect it to rain the whole time, but the forecast called for the majority of days to be rainy, so I was prepared to walk, bike or navigate around in the rain at least once or twice. But as it turns out, I didn’t take my cute rain jacket (which I’d purchased specifically for this trip) out of my bag once.

I think because I’d accepted rain would be involved, every time it didn’t rain, it felt like such a bonus. It was an unexpected surprise and something I was grateful for, both when things went accordingly to plan and when things naturally went awry (well, hey, at least it’s not raining!).  

I wanted to find some way to bring this sentiment with me back to Chicago. I guess you could say the old adage “prepare for the worst, expect the best” rings true, but that doesn’t feel like the whole story. I don’t want to just focus on what could go wrong… I don’t want to spend every day looking for the rain.

But I think what I learned in Ireland is that there’s a difference between staying in a state of rumination about what could go wrong (it will probably rain most days) vs. acknowledging what could go wrong AND coming up with related strategies (it will probably rain most days. So, I will be practical about what I pack to wear and invest in a raincoat I actually like.)

After doing some Googling, I’ve discovered this is actually a thing. It’s called the theory of defensive pessimism and it suggests that imagining—and planning for—worst-case scenarios can be more effective than trying to think positively.

Sure, there are many worst-case scenarios one could focus on, but where I see this idea being most helpful is for things like a rainy day – those minor annoyances that are bound to happen and out of our control.

For example, a few places where I’m thinking of applying this “defensive pessimism” idea include…

• A commute contingency plan. For those days when something goes wrong, and the bus doesn’t show or is extremely delayed. What’s my back-up plan? Probably a ride-sharing app, but I can take this preparation a step further and eliminate a potential “freak-out” moment by thinking about where my bus stop is located and determining the best place to call the ride from. And since it would probably be a pricey ride (rush hour), maintaining a small slush fund for situations like this could take care of potential stressors. 
• Overflow slot. Over the course of a work week, some things naturally take longer than anticipated and unanticipated urgent things pop up. Taking a look at my schedule recently, I noticed that Thursday mornings were magically meeting free. So, I’ve now been thinking of that time as my “overflow slot.” When I have to shuffle things around, I have a go-to time to bump things to. 
• Go-to freezer dinner. Having a reliable, go-to dinner on hand in the freezer comes in handy when you’re in a pinch and just need to eat something. So many options here, but I think my favorite is probably having frozen meatballs, frozen broccoli and marinara sauce (in the pantry, not freezer  ). All can be heated up and served together for a good enough meal when you really need one.  
• Replacing the back-up. This is something I’ve learned from my mom. Of course, it’s not the biggest deal when you use the last roll of toilet paper or last bit of toothpaste and realize you’re completely out. But it is a minor annoyance that can be easily avoided. So, as a tip from my mom, I’ve gotten in the habit of having one household item in use and another ready to use as backup. Then, whenever I finish using something, I replace it with the back-up and add the item to my shopping list for that week. By buying the back-up immediately, instead of waiting until I’m out, I avoid possible stress or inconvenience later on.

All small things, but all things that could make a bad day just that bit more bearable, which I am all for. But what do you think?

Where would you apply this “defensive pessimism” idea? 

On My Monday Radar

Sometimes we just aren’t ready to jump into our Monday to-do list right away. In case you want some content to procrastinate with, here is a roundup of a few positive things on my radar:  

• On the topic of a rain jacket, this is the one I bought for Ireland (in dusty rose). Pricey, yes, but really love the fit. I think my favorite feature is the “stowable” hood, so if I don’t need the hood, I can roll it up and wear it as just a jacket! 
• “How Making Time For Books Made Me Feel Less Busy.” Loved this article and the simple “rules” the author outlined for himself. 
• I think this collaboration between Half Baked Harvest (popular food blog) and Home Chef (meal kit delivery service) is so smart! I love many HBH recipes – it would be so convenient to get all the ingredients pre-portioned and delivered to you!
• Last week, my mom showed me these Target sneakers, which look SO SO similar to the more expensive Dolce Vita Dolen sneakers I’ve had my eye on for a while. Ordered the Target ones and can’t wait to try them out!

Picture(s) of the Week

That’s all for today! I hope you found something in today’s newsletter that sparked motivation, made you smile or inspired a positive Monday thought. Don’t underestimate the power of starting small… a fulfilling week starts with just one fulfilling day. You’ve got this! 

Let’s make it a great Monday!
Megan