Monday, 1/24/21: Talking about progress with running and a fun wall calendar
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 to relax, a really fun Saturday night and a sunny, snowy walk on Sunday.
TODAY: Treating myself to a manicure today, so I’m most excited to get my nails done after work. 🙂
INTENTION: My intention this week is to reach out to one friend each day.
Okay, your turn! And if you want to share your three steps, I am all ears. 🙂
Meaningful Musings: Just How Far We’ve Come
Last weekend, I went on my first run since being back in Chicago. It was chilly, but I was appropriately bundled, and once I hit the lakefront trail and joined in with the other Saturday morning runners, I was plenty warm enough.
It still surprises me how much I love running and how much I love thinking of myself as ‘a runner.’
Four years ago, I don’t think I could’ve run a mile, nor do I think I would’ve wanted to.
I started running after making it through my first Chicago winter. I had moved closer to the lake and as the weather warmed up and got nicer and nicer, I craved being able to do some kind of activity outside.
So, I picked running and haven’t looked back. It’s my me-time, my processing time, and time I can spend just listening to music or a podcast. I love it.
I started running by using an interval app that, per my customizations, tells me when to run and when to walk to recover. Over time, I’ve increased the lengths of my running intervals and subbed in jogging as a recovery in addition to walking. I like how intervals break a run down into a smattering of smaller, more quickly achievable goals. And, it always makes the time fly by faster.
The beginning of a run is harder for me than the end. I usually find my flow around the second or third mile, so I have a specific pattern of intervals I do for the first three miles to keep me entertained and engaged, and then if I’m tacking on more miles after that, I’ll do a more simple mix of running for 5 minutes, followed by a 30-second recovery walk.
But on Saturday, I decided to change it up. I wanted to see if I could jog for 5 minutes and then do a 30-second sprint instead of a recovery walk.
Maybe I was more motivated to keep running because it was cold or maybe it was the collective energy of so many runners being out on a sunny Saturday, but I surprised myself by being able to maintain the pattern for my whole run!
And about halfway through, I had a revelation. I was working through one of 30-second sprints when I realized I was looking forward to hearing my app tell me to jog for 5 minutes.
What used to be the hardest part of my run (running straight for 5 minutes) was now my recovery. When did that happen?
Isn’t it easy to forget how far we’ve come? There’s always the next to-do, the next achievement, a new improvement, what we want to accomplish in the next year, etc.
But when was the last time you spent a few minutes thinking about where you were at a year or two or more ago?
If you take the time to do so, I bet you’ll surprise yourself when you call to mind the change you’ve weathered, things you’ve endured, and how little steps you’ve taken over time have added up to be something bigger.
Maybe what we all need this Monday before jumping into forward-looking tasks and thoughts is to take a moment and remind ourselves of how far we’ve come, reassuring and settling ourselves for the week ahead.
As always, cheering you on this Monday for a great week – you’ve got this!
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:
- I saw this “Calendar of Good” at a friend’s house recently and thought it was such a great idea. It is a monthly wall calendar with a space for you to write one positive moment at the end of every day. Then, at the end of the year, “you’ll have a keepsake full of joyful memories to serve as an instant pick-me-up.” I want to buy it and start using in Feb.!
- I recently got this book from the library and have been reading a few pages before bed or whenever I need a quick break throughout the day. The book, The Art of the Good Life by Rolf Dobelli, features 52 chapters (each chapter is only 3-4 pages) with a tip, trick or thought on happiness and how to live “the good life.” Some chapters resonate more than others, but I love having something positive (and short!) to pick up instead of my phone or email.
- Speaking of breaks, after a stressful day of work last week, I treated myself to an order of a few cute Valentine’s Day accessories. There was a great sale going on, so I got this, this and this (couldn’t resist!!). Also thought these coffee mugs and plates were very cute. I appreciate how the pinks and reds of Valentine’s Day brighten up winter.
- Similar to the sentiment shared above, when you’re feeling overwhelmed by your to-do list this week, take this advice and make one of these lists instead. I’d call it a “Ta-Da list” ;). Bookmarking this reminder for myself this week.
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