Monday, 12/9/24: Talking about what’s on my radar

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 and some 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 quality time with Matt, time to relax and warm and sunny weather yesterday.

TODAY: I’m most excited to make some progress on a work project today.

INTENTION: My intention this week is to focus on consistency. 

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

On My Monday Radar

Some Mondays, we aren’t ready to jump into our to-do list right away. In case you want some content to procrastinate with, here’s a roundup of a few positive things on my radar. Hope you enjoy! 

• I think I have a new favorite Christmas movie!!! Friday night, Matt and I watched 8-Bit Christmas and both loved it. I laughed and cried and Matt got a little misty-eyed too!! The movie centers around a kid in the late 80s (in Chicago!) who wants a Nintendo for Christmas more than anything. It has such a good message… and is really funny too! Have you seen it?! Highly recommend if you – like me – hadn’t seen or heard of it before. 
• Speaking of holiday entertainment, I’m loving reading holiday books to get me in a festive mood! I finished Bright Lights, Big Christmas last week (just okay, but I am really just looking for easy entertainment with holiday books) and started A December to Remember.
• I was thinking about my favorite holiday books I’ve read over the years and The Christmas Wish by Lindsey Kelk and The Twelve Dates of Christmas by Jenny Bayliss (or really anything by Jenny – she is my go-to holiday author!) definitely top the list. The epitome of cozy, feel-good reads. 
• In non-holiday books news, I just finished listening to Ina Garten’s Be Ready When the Luck Happens and like  it so much more than I thought I would! I thought I knew some about Ina, but quickly discovered there was so much more that I didn’t know! She worked in the White House?! She bought Barefoot Contessa (the store) from someone? A fun read for sure – highly recommend listening to it since she narrates it herself!
• I purchased these leggings from Athleta recently and they have quickly become my favorite pair of pants to wear. Because they are a “straight leg” style, they flare out slightly at the end, which I think gives off an elevated look. They are also extremely soft and cozy!
• Oh man, in between some stressful wedding planning moments, I really enjoyed reading (laughing at) this post about things that went wrong at weddings. A good reminder of two things: 1) no matter how much planning goes into a wedding, something can still go wrong and 2) sometimes the things that go wrong often make the best (or funniest) memories 🙂 

Picture 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