Monday, 8/9/21: Talking about notes from July and a hack for picking your next movie
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’m thankful for my long walk on Sunday, catching up with a friend on Saturday, and for fun conversation on Friday.
TODAY: I’m most excited about having some more flexibility in my work schedule today.
INTENTION: My intention this week is to do one thing each day without my phone.
Okay, your turn! And if you want to share your three steps, I am all ears. 🙂
Meaningful Musings: Notes from July
Last week, I stumbled upon this podcast titled A Late Summer Reflection. It was a brief (6 minutes!) and as I listened, I found myself resonating with the below musings about the month of July:
“Be honest, do you have a complicated relationship with July?,” the podcast host asks.
“Like the quintessential middle child, July stands between the young excitement of June and the seasoned wisdom of August. Holding the tension of work and play, planning and reflection, refusing to make a full choice.”
I had never thought of July in this way, but there is some truth to it. For many of us, last month was a balancing act of working when we would rather be playing, or trying to not think about work while trying to relax.
Whatever July means to you, I hope last month was filled with some joyful, fun and restorative summer moments. As I’ve done at the end of each month this year, I took time to jot down a quick list of things I want to remember about last month. Sharing my notes below in case you are curious or feel inspired to jot down a quick list for yourself.
July’s 10 Notes:
- We had the most amazing celebration of life for my grandma, and I’m so thankful for the time I was able to spend with family. I wrote some stream-of-consciousness thoughts here about the experience and I already know that weekend will be one of the things I cherish most about this year. I still miss my grandma so much that it hurts, but I’m so thankful I was able to see so many family members and be together with people who all knew her so well.
- I took a week off work! My mom was staying at my grandma’s for a while longer after the celebration of life weekend, so I decided to stay the following week with her. I don’t know if it’s because I grew up spending the summers at my grandma’s house, but there is something about her house that is so relaxing to me. It was really nice to completely turn off, recharge, and spend quality time with my mom.
- My favorite book I read this month was definitely Malibu Rising. I know this book is getting a lot of hype this summer, but in my opinion, it’s for good reason! I loved it. It easily captures your attention and is so enjoyable to read. I didn’t want it to end!
- Loved having my two best friends in Chicago for a weekend. Two of my best friends from college have visited me in Chicago almost every year since I moved here. Of course, last year’s visit was put on hold and because of schedules, I thought only one of them would be visiting me this year. That is until the other one showed up and completely surprised me!! It was just the best.
- I’m making progress on my Summer Fun List! I hosted a rosé wine tasting with friends in July, which was a blast, and made it to the farmers market on a Wednesday afternoon. Only one more month left to cross things off!
- Speaking of summer, I’m trying my best to soak up all of Chicago’s sunny, warm weather while I can. June was a bit rainy, and of course, there’s been hot July days, but we’ve also been blessed with quite a string of 75-and-sunny days. Whether it’s a quick walk in between meetings or grabbing a glass of wine at an outdoor patio after work, I’m trying to get out of my apartment at least daily to enjoy the summer temperament.
- One of my favorite ways to spend time outside this month was taking long walks on Sunday. There was one Sunday where I walked over 7 miles and listened to almost every episode in this podcast series. It was glorious!
- One of my best friends had a baby!! I’m so amazed by her and happy for her and her husband 🙂. I remember when they met in college and now they are married with a baby girl… so crazy!
- I treated myself to a facial this month and it felt so indulgent! I think this was the second facial I’ve ever gotten… and I loved it. I also learned a lot about my skin! I went to Leah Chavie and would highly recommend her. She has locations in both Chicago (Gold Coast area) and Bradenton, FL!
- I think I’m interested in doing some kind of “digital detox” in September… I’m reading Cal Newport’s Digital Minimalism right now and am finding his concepts really interesting (Deep Work is next on my list!). I would love to get better at expanding my attention span and not automatically reaching for my phone whenever I find myself between things (such as right before a meeting or while I wait for the elevator). With the fresh-start-feeling that September inherently brings, it feels like it would be a perfect time to try something like this. Thinking on it!
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:
- A quote for August + free phone background! “Gratitude, not understanding, is the secret to joy and equanimity.” – Anne Lamott I wanted a way to display this quote as reminder, so I made a background for my phone and am sharing it here today in case you like it as well. To download it, view this email on your phone, click on the link, click and hold on the photo to save the image and then scale it accordingly to your phone’s wallpaper.
- I learned a lot from this podcast episode about Simone Biles. Like much of the world, I’m just captivated by Simone and her incredible courage and grace on – and even more importantly – off the podium.
- A tip for the next time you are deciding what to watch… try “movie therapy.” I recently heard of this idea on a podcast for the next time you are feeling down and looking something to watch that will cheer you up. As the guest elaborated, instead of relying on old standbys, try directing your viewing based on whatever your predicament is. Seeing characters on the screen going through something similar might actually make you feel better! I loved the example she gave too: she talked about a time when she was feeling down about not having her next step in her career figured out. She ended up watching the Nora Ephron film Julie & Julia and was so comforted by the fact that Julia Child didn’t even learn to cook until her 30s. I thought it was a neat idea and something I’ll keep in mind.
- The month of August means heading back to school for many people and I loved the advice in this article for the college-bound. Reading the advice made me nostalgic for my college days… I’m curious, what do you wish you would’ve known in that time after high school, right before college or the start of your next chapter? I so wish I could go back and tell myself #10 on the list!!
- Have any favorite tips for getting things done? As a follow up to last week, all this month I’ll be collecting anonymous tips, tricks or favorite resources on ways to make work, work/life integration or getting things done more enjoyable. If you are so inclined to share, feel free to submit anonymously here. All tips will be shared in a newsletter at the end of the month. Can’t wait to hear from you!
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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