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: From my weekend, I am thankful for seeing my extended family on Zoom Saturday night, phone calls with my Grandma and my long run on Saturday.

TODAY: I am most excited about testing out a new recipe for dinner tonight.

INTENTION: My intention is to take advantage of another week without commute time and read a bit every morning. I did this a few times last week and love how it sets the pace for my day. 

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

Lesson of the Week: Advice From My Mom

Happy (Belated) Mother’s Day to all the moms, grandmas, aunts and mom-like figures out there! I love this reminder to thank and love on all of the inspiring mom-like role models in our lives. 

Thinking about Mother’s Day and how my mom is the first person I go to for inspiration or advice, I thought it might be fun to shake things up a bit this week. Below I “interview” my mom and we discuss a variety of topics from quarantine to reaching for joy to past advice she would give her younger self.

It was so fun to talk with my mom about these things. Maybe something in the below will resonate with you or maybe you’ll be inspired to reach out with similar questions to someone you look up to. Either way, I hope this starts your week off on a positive note. Enjoy!

Megan: Hi, Mom. I’m so excited. Let’s start off with how you would describe yourself for the readers

Barbara: Besides Megan’s mom? Well, to someone who doesn’t know me, I would describe myself as a mom, daughter and friend.  Some characteristics that describe me would be optimistic, a problem solver and happy … and I’ve often been described as diplomatic.  I think raising you and your brothers honed that skill.

Because we always start the newsletter like this, what are three things you are grateful for today?

The health of my family and friends, the “bonus” time I’m experiencing with my grown kids and my surprise Mother’s Day brunch yesterday. 

What’s been the best thing and hardest thing about quarantine for you?

By far, the best thing has been living “real life” with my kids again. We’re typically all together only on vacation or during the holidays, so it’s just such a bonus. This “time without a time limit” with you and your brothers has been hands-down the best thing.

The most challenging part is the uncertainty of the timeline and knowing that so many people are hurting. I’m a problem solver by nature, but I have no idea how to solve this… and that’s tough to sit with.  

What advice would you have for moms of young kids going through quarantine right now?

Headline: the kids are going to be alright. Don’t make it harder on yourself… nobody is getting extra credit points for making it harder on themselves.  And – find the moments of fun in it – they are going to remember making tents in the living room so much more than the fact that they had to be quiet during conference calls!

Is there a quote that’s helping you right now? 

One of my favorites right now is: “Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass, but about learning to dance in the rain.”  (There’s a lot of fun to be had dancing in the rain)

When you find yourself in a funk or a bad mood, what’s your best tip for snapping out of it? 

Two things: perspective and context. I’ll force perspective by physically stepping away from what I’m doing to give myself space for context. 

I’ll go for a walk, make a cup of coffee or just do something that takes me out of the immediate. To force context, I’ll think “how will I look at this specific situation an hour from now, a week from now and a year from now?” When I look at the situation in context, it’s usually a lot smaller than I thought. 

Going off the greatness that is Martina McBribe’s This One’s For the Girls lyrics, what is the advice you wish you could give back and tell yourself at certain times in your life? 

Ha! Okay, well without giving away too much about my age, here’s what I wish I could back and tell myself in my:

• 20s: Don’t rush. Be selfish! Take the experiences as they come and don’t feel like you have to do anything by a certain age. 
• 30s: Child-raising years for me. The phrase “the days are long, but years are short” just ran through my head. But what I wish I could tell myself – or anyone raising little kids – is to think about what you want your kids to remember. Go all-in on those things and don’t waste your energy on other things. Let it go. 
• 40s: Take some time to ask yourself “what do I want to be/who do I want to be when I grow up?” again. What you decided in your 20s may or may not be relevant, but what I know now is that you still have a lot of you left in you. 
• 50s: So far, 50s have been fun! I would say take a pause and focus on your friendships. A lot of people move from a circle of kid-dependent friends to making new friends again, who will know you as you (vs. someone’s mom). If you’re lucky enough to have lifelong friendships, it’s amazing to have a little time to reinvest in those. For me, it’s almost been this “teenage experience”… without the drama. You are shedding responsibilities and you have more freedom… like I said, it’s been fun!  

I know we both have ambitious reading goals for this year. What are the top three books you’ve read this year?

City of Girls, Becoming and American Dirt (not an easy read, but a necessary read). 

What’s a resource (book, podcast, TV show) you would recommend for the readers?

Besides Megan’s Monday Motivation? 🙂  Three resources I’ve been loving right now are Word on Fire, anything Jen Hatmaker and finding new business-related podcasts (like Omni Talk). 

What’s saving your life right now? What’s helping you reach for joy?  

Three things: connecting with friends and family in new and unexpected ways (I am LOVING my weekly Zooms with my group of best friends and extended family), family mealtimes and exercise. 

And because yesterday was Mother’s Day, what’s your favorite thing about your mom? 

My mom is an amazing mom; she taught me optimism and truly made me believe that I could do anything.  As great as she is as a mom, I’m convinced she was put on this Earth to be a grandma.  My greatest joy is seeing the love between my kids and her – and I’m so grateful that she is such a part of their best memories.

On My Monday Radar (With Input From Mom!)

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 and to continue the Mother’s Day theme, here is a roundup of a few positive things on my mom’s and my radar:  

• The Becoming Documentary on Netflix. If you’ve read this newsletter for a while, you know I am a BIG fan of Michelle Obama’s book Becoming (I’ve talked about it in past newsletters like this and this). I read – or actually – I listened to (highly recommend the audio book because she narrates) Becoming at the beginning of this year. I wanted to learn more about the former First Lady and hear her perspective. What I didn’t expect to gain was a story about the honest struggle to find your voice, passion and fulfillment. My mom read it as well and as you can tell from her book recommendations above, she also loved it. We watched the Netflix documentary yesterday and it was So. Dang. Good. We don’t know the last time we watched something that made us laugh, cry and think all at the same time. Highly recommend. And if you want a preview of what you can expect, here are some of my favorite quotes from the documentary. 
• Jen Hatmaker’s New Book. My mom and I are big fans of Jen Hatmaker and frequently laugh together over her funny Instagram posts. Jen recently released a new book and while I love her humor, zest for life and approach to loving people, I have to be honest with you… I didn’t think I needed to read this book right now. I only decided to read it after my mom ordered it for herself. But after finishing it this weekend, I realize this is exactly the type of book I needed. I like the questions it raised about being true to yourself, how it made you think about your faith and the tools provided to embark on your own personal discovery journey. If that sounds like something you are craving during this time, I recommend checking this book out.
• J. Crew Sales.And now for a lighter item of note… while I don’t want to talk about J. Crew filing for bankruptcy, I do feel like I need to tell about two items to keep your eyes on if you’re shopping right now. The first is this dress I bought a few weeks ago when it was on sale. I just absolutely love it and it makes me so happy when I wear it! Many of the sizes are out of stock right now, but they do keep restocking and after discounts, the price is great. The second is this bathing suit my mom wore this weekend. It’s not on sale right now, but if you are interested, keep your eye on it because I bet it gets marked down soon. The print is perfect for summer (I like this print too) and the fit is so, so flattering! 

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

Want to receive a note like this to your inbox every Monday at 6 AM EST? Sign up here! If you don’t receive the email, please check your spam or junk folder.