Monday, 1/10/22: Talking about Dwyane Wade and finding moments

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 spent with my parents, my long run on Saturday and one more weekend of warm Florida weather. 

TODAY: I’m reading a book about the “power of fun” right now, and it’s – well – fun to read! So today, I’m excited to spend some time before work reading it while enjoying my coffee.  

INTENTION: My intention this week is to soak up one more week of being home in Florida with my parents. 

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

Meaningful Musings: Finding Moments 

Last week, I was listening to this podcast episode when I heard something that really resonated with me.
 
The podcast featured an interview with basketball superstar Dwyane Wade, whom I don’t know much about… aside from loving his wife (Gabrielle Union – seriously, her book is so good).
 
My favorite part of the conversation was when Dax Shepard, the host, asked something along the lines of how Dwyane is able to possibly reconcile the amazing experiences he’s had – like playing basketball at the White House with President Obama… to being mentored by Shaquille O’Neal … to making the list of greatest 75 players in NBA history – and stay somewhat down-to-earth? How is he not completely distraught when experiences like that are over?  
 
I loved Dwyane’s answer. I’m paraphrasing a bit below, but right around minute 47, he responded:
 

“Life’s all about finding moments.” 
 
“…You get to a point where once you play basketball you think you’ll last forever, and you realize it doesn’t… You know all you have now is your stories. All I have now to tell my son and my daughters are moments that I had.” 
 
“…And so, for me, I just live my life to capture as many moments as possible because as I get older, that’s all I’m going to pull it back from. One day when I’m sitting out there and I don’t got any work to do and my kids are grown and my grandkids – hopefully – are around, I’m just going to sit back and think about all these moments.” 

 
Time – and our perception of time – fascinates me. Sometimes it keeps me up at night, thinking about time passing by. How can a day feel so long, but a month come and go quickly?
 
I used to get so sad when something – anything – would end, (okay, I still get sad, but the dramatics are NOT as bad as they once were), which is why my ears perked up when Dax asked that question. If I putter over something nominal ending, how does one deal with the “after” post-something so monumental?
 
Dwyane’s answer reminded me of a quote I read once. Alan Burdick wrote in his book Why Time Flies, “Very often when we remark, ‘How did time fly by so quickly?’ what’s actually meant is some version of ‘I don’t remember where the time went.’”
 
Is it more time we yearn for or more memories? All those times I’ve spent energy wishing time would slow down to delay an ending, have I inadvertently missed out on an opportunity to make a memory?
 
It’s something I’m thinking about this week. We can’t stop the passage of time… and that’s not always a bad thing. In fact, one of my favorite tricks – heard here first – for when I’m stressed about something (usually work-related), is to ask myself, “Will this matter in 5 weeks, 5 months, 5 years from now?” It almost always makes me feel better.
 
But for the things we do want to savor and slow down, maybe Dwyane is on to something. I’m committing to expensing less energy on being sad about something ending and instead shifting my perception to thinking about the moment I’m capturing. (Of course, I still expect to be a little sad when something wraps… we’re aiming for progress here, not perfection).
 
And I know that Dwyane’s answer was in reference to those highlight-reel-worthy moments, but the more I thought about it, I realized his answer could be applied to just an ordinary Monday, like today.
 
We can’t make more time. But asking ourselves “What moment am I finding today?” or, like this article says, “Why is today different from other days?” can make time feel more abundant. It nudges today out of a general feeling of “sameness” and makes our time spent more memorable.
 
Even if it is something small (like reading a good book with coffee), answering that question means you’ll be more likely to remember today. And having more memories = feeling like you have more time.

Annie Dillard wrote, “How we spend our days is how we spend our lives.” (I love that quote). So, how will you spend your Monday? What moment will you find today?

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 key part in all of this: keeping track of those memorable moments you found. And it doesn’t have to take a ton of effort. In fact, a really easy way to do this is with a one-line-a-day journal, which is exactly what it sounds like – you write down just one line every day. This one features an entry/day for five successive years, allowing you to revisit previous thoughts and moments on a specific day of the year over the span of five years. I have a couple of friends that use and love (and I have one too!). 
• I love roundups like this – most anticipated books for 2022. (See ones here and here too) I usually bookmark the roundup and check back in throughout the year, whenever I’m in a reading slump and need something new. Books I’m excited for later this year include This Time Tomorrow and Tracy Flick Can’t Win.
• With all the New Year’s resolutions talk, I thought this article was interesting about the one thing most people misunderstand about habits. The article argues that conscious decision making plays a much more minor role in people’s actions than previously thought (really??). As the author writes, at the end of the day, forming new habits isn’t impossible, it’s just much easier for some people than others. It’s a good reminder that comparing how you approach a new habit/resolution to how someone else does it a lose/lose game. And I loved the sentiment in one of the last lines in the article: “What I can actually do for myself over the next year to make my life better probably will not include a spontaneous dedication to daily exercise. It may include more careful attention to, say, reading or cooking—things that I already love, and that are good for me.” Yes, please to more thoughts like that in 2022.
• Five tips to get you through a gloomy season. I am headed back to Chicago this week and I’m not going to lie… I’ve been a little worried every time I check the weather app. It looks COLD. Some good tips in this article for getting through!
• Lastly, if you are in need of some more motivation this Monday, forget anything I said above… check out this pep talk from kid motivational speaker “Coach Cal.” I mean, so cute!! My mom showed me this video of his interview with Ellen last week and we couldn’t stop smiling as we watched. *The Monday morning energy we need!*

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