Monday, 1/13/20: Talking about the trash cans at Disney and waterproof boots (that aren’t snow boots).
Happy Monday!
It’s another 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 a delicious dinner with friends Saturday night, a catch-up phone call with mom and this chili recipe, which was the perfect accompaniment for the snowy weather in Chicago.
TODAY: Today, I am most excited about the new sweater I’m wearing to work.
INTENTION: My intention for this week is to make healthy eating choices. I’ve grocery shopped, meal prepped and am ready to go. (Really hard-hitting stuff so far this morning 🙂). Okay, your turn! And if you want to share your three steps, I am all ears. 🙂
Lesson of the Week: The Importance of “Trash Cans”
Matthew Hussey is a life coach and popular Youtuber with 1.9 million subscribers. He is dubbed “the world’s leading dating advice expert for women.” Which, TBH, elicited an eye roll from me. However, I listened to this podcast interview with him and found myself loving his message. I took away a lot from the episode, and there was one story in particular that stuck with me.
At the end of the podcast, Matthew talked about visiting Disney World for the first time as a kid. What he remembers can sound strange… because it has to do with the trash cans.
According to Matthew, the trash cans were different depending on the part of the park you were in. There was a futuristic one in TomorrowLand and one covered with bamboos near the Indiana Jones ride. Matthew was amazed by this. It meant someone cared about the experience so much that even trash cans were taken into consideration while designing the park.
As he started working with people on relationships, the trash can memory resurfaced with another meaning. Matthew realized that while something like Space Mountain is definitely a memorable part of a Disney trip (you even get a picture to take home!), you only ride it once or twice. But you use the trash cans every 30 minutes. It’s a good thing that someone cared about the trash cans because it was a regularly occurring, given opportunity to interact with customers. To relate this back to his work, Matthew made the analogy that relationships are defined more by the “trash cans” (little things) instead of the “Space Mountains” (the big, once-in-a-while things).
I really liked this analogy. When relating it to my personal circumstances, I realized I could apply it to two areas of my life besides relationships: my daily routine and my professional persona.
For my daily routine, I thought about those “trash cans” that I come in contact with on a day-to-day basis. Could I optimize any of these things for a better daily experience?
We cannot spend our lives waiting for that trip or a new job or for when we are in a relationship (“the Space Mountains”). If we are trying to cultivate happiness, we need to find ways to fall in love with our regular day-to-day life. It’s a daunting task, but maybe this trash can analogy can help us uncover ways to spark daily joy. For example:
- Let’s say you have a long daily commute to work that’s less-than ideal. Have you tried using the time to listen to audiobooks or podcasts or to call a friend?
- Maybe coffee is something you drink every morning and that brings you joy (hi, me!). Consider investing in the type of coffee machine that you would be excited to use every day.
- Knowing that I bring lunch to work almost every day, I threw away my old Tupperware that was falling apart and purchased this pretty salad bowl when it was on sale. Such a small thing, but I smile each time I use it.
- Think about the areas of your home that you spend the most time in. What are tiny tweaks you can make? Whether it’s decluttering, bringing in candles and blankets to make it cozy or rearranging the furniture, think about how to optimize the everyday space for your usage.
I also liked the analogy for a professional setting. It made me think about those given deliverables at work that I produce on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. Am I consistent with the quality of work that I’m producing with these given touch points? Am I using them to consistently communicate the type of employee I want to be?
I’ll end with a quote by Samuel Johnson that sums everything up nicely: “It is by studying the little things that we attain the great art of having as little misery and as much happiness as possible.” Don’t underestimate or overlook the little things. Little things have a lot of power and can bring a lot of happiness to our relationships, daily life and work.
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:
- Blondo Waterproof (Cute!) Boots. It rained and snowed all day Saturday. From my window, I could see it coming down sideways. What the heck are you supposed to wear when you have social plans in that type of weather? Enter waterproof suede boots. Yes, they exist. And they are amazing. On me, they hit just above the knee and they do not fall down like so many other over-the-knee boots. At first, I had trouble getting them on until the salesperson at Nordstrom taught me this trick: when putting them on and taking them off, you fold the boot down halfway, slip your foot in or out, and then pull the rest of the boot up. Chicago friends, trust me when I say you need these shoes (and they are currently 50% off. :)).
- Little Fires Everywhere Mini Series. Have you read the book Little Fires Everywhere? It was really popular in 2018 and is one of those books you keep thinking about it days after you finish it. It’s being adapted into an eight-episodes series with Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington (what a pair!). It premieres on Hulu in March and I can’t wait. If you haven’t read the book, you definitely have time to read it before the show premieres.
- Screen Time Limits. Did you know you can set time limits for certain apps on your iPhone? All you have to do is visit “Settings” and then “Screen Time.” I set a limit for Instagram (my favorite platform) to see if it makes me more likely to reach for other activities instead of scrolling. So far, I have been shocked daily when I realize how quickly I use up my allotted time.
- Grace’s 2019 Reading Roundup. I always enjoy reading Grace’s (co-host of Bad on Paper podcast and blogger at The Stripe) monthly reading roundups. There is no shortage of book recs on her blog as she reads A LOT (like 83 books just in 2019!). I’m on track for my 20 in 2020 challenge of reading 15 books (I’ve read 2/15 so far!), and I am excited to take a few recs from this list.
- 8 Ways to be Kinder to Yourself in 2020. This is just a fun, motivational read in case you need it this Monday. 🙂
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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