Monday, 7/6/20: Talking about belonging, Hamilton and summer sandals

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 time with family, the Hamilton movie and having Friday off for work.

TODAY: I am most excited to run along the Chicago lakefront trail again.

INTENTION: My intention for this week is to focus on establishing my new routine and rhythms.

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

Lesson of the Week: Belonging 

When I moved to Chicago four years ago, one of my best friends from Florida serendipitously also moved here around the same time.

It was such a blessing to have a friend and piece of home in this new city, and especially someone who was navigating similar obstacles as me.

During our three years in Chicago together, we connected over shared experiences and supported each other. One of the ways we did this was with “post-home-visit texts.”

The texts only included a simple statement (something like “I’m sad” or “This is hard”), but whenever you received one, your stomach dropped because you could instantly feel the other’s aching homesick feelings. 

How could we be perfectly fine prior to visiting home, and then feel such homesickness after? There wasn’t much you could do or say to make the other feel better. Eventually, we learned the post-home-visit feelings would start to disappear in about 24-to-48 hours, but while the feelings were present, it was at least comforting to know someone else could relate.

I have the post-home-visit feelings this morning. I’m back in Chicago after being with family since March. My heart is doubly full this morning because I am also coming off a week spent with some of the people I cherish more than anything in this world (my grandma and other family members and friends that feel like family).

There were multiple moments last week – on my grandma’s porch, on my aunt’s couch, in my friend’s backyard – where I was just able to exhale and relax. It felt so great to be with a group of people I know so well and who know me so well.

Do you know what I’m talking about? Have you had an exhale moment recently? Maybe it was a sense of  peace that comes with doing an activity you love or being with a really good friend? 

I wasn’t able to accurately verbalize the exhale feeling until I came across the below quote. 

In her book Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone, Brene Brown writes: 

“True belonging is the spiritual practice of believing in and belonging to yourself so deeply that you can share your most authentic self with the world and find sacredness in both being a part of something and standing alone in the wilderness.

True belonging doesn’t require you to change who you are; it requires you to be who you are.” 

As I thought about it more, I realized these exhale moments came as a result of belonging. As the quote above demonstrates, when we belong, we are being true to ourselves and being loved for it. When we belong, we aren’t managing expectations or trying to fit in. When we belong, we can simply be… and exhale… and relax.  And that sounds exactly like what I want more of in my life.

A sense of belonging is a human need, just like the need for food and shelter… but maybe we’ve been going about it in the wrong way and focusing on the wrong things.

Maybe we can better cultivate true belonging by first working on belonging to ourselves and then seeking out and accepting others as their own versions of their true, authentic selves.

In my opinion, it’s worth a shot for more of those peaceful, integrated, happy exhale moments.  

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:  

• Hamilton The Movie. I was so excited the Hamilton movie became available on Disney+ this weekend!! I have not yet seen Hamilton performed as a play, but I still had high expectations for the movie because of all the hype. Well, I’m here to report my expectations were exceeded, I loved it more than I even thought I would and I’ve already watched it twice. The talent, the singing, the different themes and messages woven throughout… Loved All. Of. It.!!
• Finished This Fun Book (that had a twist!) This Weekend. Happy and You Know It is about a struggling musician who starts signing for a kids’ playgroup hosted by posh Upper East Side moms. It reminded me of Big Little Lies, but with a twist I didn’t see coming. If I was rating it, I would give it three out of five stars. Would recommend if you are looking for an easy, fun beach read!
• What are the Stories that Bind Your Family? I came across this article while doing research for today’s newsletter and really enjoyed it. One of my favorite parts of being with extended family this past week was the stories we tell and reminisce on. I’ve never thought about which stories make up our “family narrative” and how they bind us together. Interesting concept to think about!
• Thinking about buying these sandals for summer. I’ve had my eyes on these white, waterproof Birkenstock for a while. I feel like they would be the perfect summer sandal to wear around the house, with casual outfits and while doing errands. But I’ve never had Birkenstocks before and can’t decide… what do you think? 

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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