Megan's Monday Motivation
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Monday, 10/10/22: Talking about notes from August and September and pumpkin bread

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: I’m thankful for beautiful weather, seeing the Chicago marathon runners yesterday and relaxing, fun Saturday night. 

TODAY: Today I’m most excited about an event I’m going to after work (although, it’s more excitement with a bundle of nerves, eek!). 

INTENTION: I’m taking time off at the end of this week and going home to Florida (can’t wait!), so my intention is to stay focused and get done what I need to get done before fun. 

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

Meaningful Musings: Notes from August & September 

As one of the items on my 22 in 2022 list, I’m writing a quick recap at the end of each month with 10 things to remember. I’m really enjoying the ritual of taking a moment to pause, remember the little things, and think about what I’m excited for next month. 

Combining notes from August and September below. If you are looking for an activity to pep up your Monday, give this a try. Scroll through your photos or reference your calendar from the past couple weeks and make a quick list of memories and ordinary moments. A lot can happen in four weeks! 

Hope you have a great Monday. 😊

August & September’s 10 Things: 

  1. Summer came to an end, but I didn’t feel the “end-of-summer blues” to the extent I usually do. Maybe I had enough other things on my mind or MAYBE after 6 years of living here, I’ve come to terms with the fact summer has to end and winter takes over. I don’t know! Really enjoying fall right now and looking forward to the *start* of winter (makes the holiday season so magical). 
  2. Speaking of enjoying fall, I ordered these Rothy’s ballet flats in September to add to my fall shoe collection. Love them and cannot stop wearing them! (And thank you mom for introducing me to Rothy’s… you are right that they are the most comfortable shoe!)
  3. I also ordered these Pumpkin Spice Cake Nespresso pods in prep for fall and it’s been my go-to afternoon coffee choice. So delicious!! 
  4. My two brothers visited me in Chicago for Labor Day Weekend. So much fun. 🙂 Lots of football watching, catching up and enjoying each other’s company. I’m hoping we make this a tradition because with 3 years between each of us, it can be hard day-to-day to stay in touch (we’re each in a different life stage, etc.). Felt so close to both of my brothers after a few days together! Yay siblinghood 😊
  5. A tradition my friends and I upheld this year: road tripping to Notre Dame for a football game. So fun!! We luckily had perfectly sunny weather and a seamless experience taking the “Irish Express” to and from Chicago. 
  6. I love when college football season starts in September. I have a routine of listening to my favorite college football podcast on Friday to hear about the weekend’s games, planning out my Saturday according to game times, and trying to keep up with the texts and reactions about the games in my group chat with my extended family. It’s just the best!
  7. One of my best friends sent me Taylor Jenkins Reid’s new book Carrie Soto is Back in the mail and it made my entire day!! Anything better than a surprise mail package, especially one with a book?! Thank you Sami 😊
  8. In September I was able to visit two cities I hadn’t been to in a while: DC (for work) & Nashville (for a wedding). Love both of these cities and hope to go back soon for longer stretches of time! 
  9. I didn’t do great on the reading front in August or September, but I did enjoy watching two things: I watched Partner Track on Netflix and the movie Where the Crawdads Sing. There were definitely cheesy parts of Partner Track, but it was exactly what I wanted to watch 😊 plus, I loved the scenes of NYC and the fashion. And I’ve heard it received mixed reviews, but I loved the Crawdads movie!! I read the book a while ago and thought the film was a wonderful adaptation.  
  10. Ending with a fun one… new skincare products! I started using both this Sunday Riley Vitamin C serum and this Summer Fridays mask consistently in August and September and love both of them. I wear the Vitamin C serum every morning and use the mask a few days a week before my nighttime moisturizer. As I get ready to transition skincare products to what I need for winter, I’m definitely going to be checking out other products from both of these brands because I’m impressed! 

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:  

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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