Monday, 11/1/21: Talking about the smallest right and winter preparations

Happy Monday!

& Happy November! I love when the first of the month falls on a Monday – just feels right. 🙂

A new week also 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 the friends I saw Saturday night, my long run on Saturday, and all the fun Halloween decorations in my neighborhood.  

TODAY: Today, I am most excited to wear a new sweater I recently bought. It is chilly today in Chicago!!    

INTENTION: My intention for this week is to plan out November (and not just what I need to do, but how I want to do it… more on this below!). 

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

Meaningful Musings: The Smallest Right

The other day I was rushing to meet a friend. I was running a few minutes late, so naturally, I picked up my pace and started walking briskly.
 
As I passed a popular park in my neighborhood, a young woman stepped in my direction. “Excuse me,” she started to say, holding up her hand, “are you from here?” 
 
Without taking my eyes off my destination, which was starting to appear in the distance, I mumbled out a curt “Can’t!” and hurried on my rushed way.
 
Ugh. 
 
I felt terrible right after it happened. 
 
Really? I couldn’t have stopped for a minute or two to see what she needed help with? Or at a minimum, pause for 30 seconds to look at her and let her know that I was unable to stop because I was running late? Either option would have been better than what I did.
 
I’ve been thinking about this incident because of a book I started reading. I’d been on the hunt for a book to read in the morning that’s somewhere between thought-provoking and inspirational. I can’t remember how I came across this book specifically, but I recently started reading Story of a Soul: The Autobiography of St. Thérèse of Lisieux and am really enjoying it.
 
So much so, that I’ve actually done a few deep dives on St. Thérèse because I just find her story so interesting. And as today is considered “All Saints Day” for some, I thought it would be timely to share why she’s resonating with me and how her writings made me reflect on my recent rude encounter. Regardless of personal beliefs, I think there’s some inspiration and learnings to take from things St. Thérèse’s wrote and said. 
 
St. Thérèse was a French Carmelite nun who died in 1897 at the young age of 24 from tuberculosis. For her entire time as a nun (she became a nun when she was only 15), she remained cloistered in her convent, where two of her sisters were also nuns (a third sister would later join them as well and a fourth sister was a nun in a different order!). She lived this hidden, simple life of holiness, yet over 120+ years later, she’s regarded as one of the most well-known saints. It’s pretty remarkable. By conventional standards, she didn’t make any grand gestures or perform unbelievable miracles, but rather, she is known for the simplicity and practicality of her approach to spiritual life. As she writes, “What matters in life, is not great deeds, but great love.“
 
It’s what people refer to as her “Little Way,” which is doing the smallest things with the greatest amount of love. She doesn’t pretend like it’s easy to do – she writes openly about being annoyed with others and doubting her faith – but her “Little Way” is a willingness to, in every moment and in every situation ask “what is the demand of love?” and then choose that.
 
Isn’t that powerful?
 
The other morning I was reading a chapter of her book and I came across the following phrase:
 
“Miss no single opportunity of making some small sacrifice, here by a smiling look, there by a kindly word; always doing the smallest right and doing it all for love.”
 
I thought about all those times I get caught up in the narrative that something grandiose is what’s needed to make a positive difference in the world, and how because I think I lack the time or resources to do something big, I end up not taking action at all. But in reality, something small – “doing the smallest right and doing it all for love” – is so much better than doing nothing. It made me think of my grandma choosing the bigger life, and how even though tomorrow marks one whole year without her here with us, I’m thankful she’s still sending winks and guidance like this my way.
 
And I also thought about my rude, rushed moment in the park. Now, I know in the grand scheme of things, this encounter is not the biggest deal. There were plenty of other people around who were nicer than me and able to help the young woman. But the way I handled the situation is representative of who I don’t want to be. I don’t want to be too rushed or too frantic to notice the good that’s happening around me or too preoccupied to recognize opportunities to do the smallest right and do it all for love. (Yes, this is a lesson I have to keep learning… again and again)
 
I really love this reminder especially as we enter the last two months of 2021 (which…btw… how?!). As the frantic holiday season begins with all its wonderful – albeit sometimes stressful – hustle and bustle, what if I thought not only about what I was doing, but how I want to do it? More intention, less autopilot. More small acts of kindness and acting out of love rather than stress or anger. 
 
“Always doing the smallest right and doing it all for love”
 
Quite an idea, isn’t 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:  

• Okay cold-weather friends, it’s officially November, which means winter is upon us. But do not panic!! Instead, get this coat :). I bought it last year and have only great things to say about it. It keeps you so warm (and this is coming from someone who lives in Chicago!)… but at the same time, is also somehow magically lightweight? It’s the coat I’ll be wearing exclusively for the next five-ish months, but I also can’t help but eye this chic, quilted puffer…
• Yep, Chicago is dipping into the 30s this week, so I made my annual purchase of my holy-grail winter skincare product. Warning: it is pricey. But if your skin is like mine and gets super dry and a little rough as soon as the air turns frigid, this product is a godsend. It is the only skincare product where I’ve honestly experienced a difference overnight. I wake up and my skin is hydrated and soft!   
• Two articles I read last week that resonated with me: The common belief that steals our joy and Timing is everything. Enjoyed both of them… sharing in case you need a Monday pick-me-up this morning. 🙂 
• Extremely random addition to this list, but I just have to let you know that this hummus is SO good. It was on sale at my grocery store last week and made for the perfect snack with crackers or carrots. Would be embarrassed to tell you how quickly I went through the package though… 

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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