Monday, 10/5/20: Talking about a September recap and pumpkin coffee
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 fall weather, time spent with a friend on Saturday and time to relax.
TODAY: I’m excited to test out my new cold-weather running leggings on my run this morning.
INTENTION: My intention is to have three “no-spend” days this week.
Okay, your turn! And if you want to share your three steps, I am all ears. 🙂
Lesson of the Week: September’s 10 Things
Can you believe it’s October? Can you believe it’s only October?
Time is weird right now. There is a lot of messaging out there about “just wanting 2020 to be over.” And the sentiment of the message is very valid as it’s been a rough year for so many people.
But last week, there was something about the beginning of October that made me pause. We are entering into the final stretch/last couple months of the year. And while I don’t necessarily want to slow down time, I also don’t want to just let this time pass me by. I want to be more intentional about making memorable moments happen.
One of the ways I’m doing this is with an informal monthly recap to catalog some of the memories (big and small, good and bad, funny and serious) that happen in the span of a month. I did this for the first time last week. One night, I scrolled through my camera roll to look at photos captured in September, referenced at my calendar and quickly jotted down a list of memories. Maybe I was feeling particularly introspective that night (or maybe it was the wine), but it ended up being a lot of fun.
I enjoyed the activity so much that I wanted to share with you today. My hope is that you’ll consider trying it out too. Then, by the end of the year, we’ll have four lists of memorable things that happened in these last months of 2020.
If you are interested, take out a piece of paper or start a note on your phone and begin jotting down 5-10 things that happened this month. It helped me to look at photos and my calendar, but maybe you want to reference your texts or social media posts.
Ask yourself, what were some of my favorite moments from the month? What did I learn? What content (books, podcasts, movies) really resonated with me? Did anything hard happen this month?
If you try this out and like it, I would love to hear about it! And in case you are curious, here are my 10 (very) random things from September.
My 10 Things for September:
- I started meditating this month! I heard about Ziva Meditation in August and became really interested in their 14-day online training. I completed the course this month and am maintaining a daily practice that works for me right now! Loving it.
- Completely random, but I learned a magical tip for taking care of hydrangeas. When they start to wilt, clip the stems a bit and fill the vase with hot water. I did this before going to bed one night and by the morning, I had brand-new flowers! (Will post a picture on Instagram for proof)
- The two (non-fiction) books that had the biggest impact on me this month were Burning Bright by Kelsey J. Patel and Off the Clock by Laura Vanderkam. Highly recommend both.
- I just love my new belt bag so much that I even got one for my mom (I have the pink color and she has the black – hope they restock soon!).
- My favorite social activity from this month was going out to dinner with friends. We picked a new restaurant, got a few bottles of wine and slowly made our way through a variety of items on the menu. It was so indulgent and SO much fun!
- My favorite solo activity from this month also involved restaurants: a couple times this month, I got out of my apartment by heading to a nearby restaurant with a book. I read, had a glass of wine (sometimes an appetizer), and it was so delightful!
- Speaking of “solo,” I did not do anything on the dating front this month. I got a bit upset/discouraged with myself at one point, but I gave myself some grace. Things will happen as they are supposed to!
- I started turning my phone on Do Not Disturb during my workouts, in the morning before work and on the weekends. Such a nice mental break!
- My favorite podcasts I listened to during September included anything Brene Brown/Unlocking Us and Freckled Foodie and Friends (new-to-me pod about all things wellness).
- My favorite songs to run to this month were really random: I’m still running to Hamilton (specifically, Nonstop and Wait For It) and I added Together by Sia and Almost (Sweet Music) by Hozier to the end-of-run rotation.
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:
- The Best Pumpkin Coffee (IMO): I love pumpkin-flavored coffee as my afternoon caffeine fix this time of year. I’ve been sampling a few different brands and think officially my favorite is Target’s Good and Gather version! Starbucks is usually my go-to, but I have to say, I personally did not like the Pumpkin Spice coffee this year.
- Pandemic Time Capsule. It was fun to read this interactive article about creating a pandemic time capsule. Back in March, I remember printing out the email from work that told us we would be adjusting to a work-from-home model for the foreseeable future. I just knew it was something I’ll show my kids one day (cheesy – I know). After reading this article, I think I may take that email and add a few other things to create a “time capsule.” Have you thought about creating something to document this time?
- Loving this shade of nail polish. I keep picking this mauve color over and over again for my nails – it works for so many different seasons! Not too bright, not too light, just right.
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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