Monday, 2/3/20: Talking about the Taylor Swift documentary, the power of a story and the book I read this weekend
Happy Monday!
And Happy February! It’s another 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: From my weekend, I am thankful that my mom was in Chicago (so much fun!), for being able to watch the Super Bowl with family last night (in Florida for work) and that I noticed my keys had fallen out of my bag while going through security so that I could find them on the floor (yes, this situation almost happened again).
TODAY: I am most excited about getting to run outside in the warm Florida weather!!
INTENTION: My intention for this week is to take the time to understand someone’s story before jumping to a quick reaction (more on this below). Okay, your turn! And if you want to share your three steps, I am all ears. 🙂
Lesson of the Week: Powerful Stories
Do you find yourself thinking of someone more fondly after reading their memoir or watching a documentary about them? Why is that?
My mom and I watched the Taylor Swift documentary this weekend. Once it ended, we found ourselves thinking about her with a new level of admiration and re-thinking some of our perceptions about her that had been shaped by the headlines.
I’ve had similar reactions recently toward Michelle Obama after reading Becoming and even experienced it with the fictional main character in The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, which is a book about a movie star’s memoir.
I think the reason biographies, documentaries and memoirs have the power to evoke new feelings in us is because they give us the opportunity to learn the full story.
Humans are not one dimensional. When we learn about someone’s full story, we transcend past the one-dimensional headlines and highlight reels and gain exposure to a 3-D version. We are able to better draw the connection from a person’s actions to their intentions, which are likely influenced from past experiences.
Learning more about someone’s story can bring positive by-products for us too. When we take time to understand where someone is coming from and see a situation from their point of view, we typically release some negative feelings (like annoyance, resentment, hatred) for more pleasant, positive feelings (like empathy, tolerance and understanding).
This is powerful stuff. But how can this relate to our everyday life? Let’s consider these three ideas:
- When you don’t understand someone’s actions, try thinking about the full story before reaching for a negative feeling. This is not to say that you should excuse bad behavior or accept being treated poorly. But the next time you are frustrated with someone (either in your life or from afar) and feel like you can’t understand why they do the things they do, consider the fact that you are seeing the surface level. What’s frustrating you may be the result of something that’s out of the person’s control. Knowing this may make you more empathetic and make the whole situation more tolerable.
- Consider how your own actions are influenced by your story. All of this applies to us too. What’s our story? How do our past experiences impact how we act today? Are we proud of what we are subliminally communicating through our everyday actions?
- There is power in sharing your story. This weekend I’ve seen so many people sharing how they related to the vulnerable topics Taylor Swift discussed in her documentary. Two of the most powerful words, especially when we’re struggling, are “me too.” We all have a unique story based on our life experiences and when we reveal our stories (where appropriate), we may give someone else the chance to recognize themselves in our story, relate to us and feel a little less alone. I also like knowing that the next time I go through something hard, I can find the tiniest bit of comfort in reminding myself that I’m also actively writing another defining part of my story. I can remind myself that these challenges and this part of my story may help someone else one day.
What do you think? What would your week look like if you thought about the above three points throughout this week?
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:
- Taylor Swift documentary. This documentary was mentioned a few times above, but I also had to link it and call it out here! It’s an easy watch with a runtime of an hour and 25 minutes and is really well done in my opinion. Put it on your list to watch this week and let me know your thoughts. 🙂
- 20 in 2020 list. Can you believe we are in the second month of 2020?! I definitely can… January felt like the longest month (I loved those memes about it being the 91st day of January). Anyways, it’s definitely not too late to make a 20 in 2020 list if you haven’t already. I checked in on my list recently and definitely need to get moving on a few items. Planning on sharing a quarterly update next month so stay tuned!
- The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. I finished this book recently and really enjoyed it. I was captivated throughout the whole book and loved how it went back and forth between the past and present day. If you loved City of Girls like I did, you will love this book too.
- 10 Work Hacks to Implement This Year. Love a roundup of easy work hacks to get your Monday started on a productive note!
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
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