Monday, 11/11/19: Talking about freezing in Minnesota, an annual girls trip tradition and the best mascara under $10
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 Tactical Steps to a Happier Monday
Each newsletter starts with three steps for 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 the chance to spend the weekend with my dad in Minnesota (we went to the Penn State-Minnesota game! So much fun. Not ready to talk about the game outcome…), the fact that our seats were in the sun/it didn’t snow during the game (Minnesota, you are COLD! Especially when sitting high up in a stadium) and the sweetest Thanksgiving card I received from a friend!
TODAY: I am most excited about treating myself to a Starbucks on my way into work. It may sound funny to some, but I am going to use Starbucks as my reward for getting through my first snowy commute with a wind chill of 15. Plus, I am such a sucker for the holiday cups. It really is the little things! 😊
INTENTION: My intention for this week is to stay calm when handling whatever may pop up this week at work. Okay, your turn! And if you want to share your three steps, I am all ears. 🙂
Lesson of the Week: Be The Friend You Want to Have
This weekend was my mom’s annual “girls weekend.” Her and her five friends from grade school have been getting together once a year, every year for the past 25 years.
The idea is very simple. A weekend is selected months in advance, a location is determined and flights are booked. Significant others, kids and work all know the weekend is coming. I’m embarrassed to admit, but I can remember younger versions of my brothers and myself trying to guilt our mom the days leading up to the trip (sorry about this, Mom!!). Without fail, my mom would calmly respond “you know there’s no complaining and no tears allowed about girls weekend!” And so, it was ingrained in us. This tradition would happen every year and these 72 hours were one of our mom’s top priorities. We would be absolutely fine without mom for this short time and, what I know now, is that everyone would be better off because of this weekend.
I love hearing about the fun they have, the trouble they get into and what everyone is up to. But my favorite part is the happy, relaxed and centered version of my mom who emerges from the weekend.
We’ve heard the airplane oxygen mask analogy many times (put on your mask first before helping others) and because of this weekend, I’ve seen how my mom is uplifted and inspired after making time to reconnect with her best friends. Thank you mom and girls weekend crew for teaching that investing in lifelong friendships is a form of self-care!
This week I spent time reflecting on why trips with best friends are so special. What I realized is that for me, getting out of my day-to-day routine/responsibilities frees up extra mental space and energy. This extra space and energy is re-allocated to focusing on the friends right in front of me. I’m less distracted and less hurried. I am able to intentionally celebrate where my friends are thriving and listen more closely about the different things people are dealing with. The extra space/energy coupled with being around people I trust also provides the platform to process some things I might have not been able to work through yet on my own.
Beyond the benefit of connecting, trips provide the opportunity to create heart-warming memories that stay with you long past the weekend.
For example, I’ve started the tradition of an annual getaway with two of my best friends from college. On our first trip, one person requesting we stay at a restaurant for just “one more glass of wine” lead to a heartfelt conversation that was a cornerstone of the trip. Now even when we aren’t together, we will let each other know when we need to have a “one more glass of wine” conversation as a signal that to pick up the phone and connect without distractions.
A lighter memory that has stood the test of time for over six years involves a spontaneous road trip to Tuscaloosa, Alabama in college. On the trip, three of my closest college friends and I witnessed how much fun Alabama students had when singing “Dixieland Delight.” We took it upon ourselves to remaster the lyrics and create our own version that we could bring it back to our school (yes, we are that cool). Without fail, we still sing the song whenever we are reunited today… including a grand performance at one’s wedding this past September.
I love the fun memories getaways provide. Take a second and think about some of your favorite moments from trips with friends. If you haven’t answered the prompts above, reflecting and look at old photos on your lunch break could be the thing you are most excited about today. 😊
Trips are amazing, but if you are like me with friends scattered throughout the country, they don’t happen often. So, how do you make sure to maintain those friendships in between the trips? Easy. Be the friend you want to have.
Wish your friend called you more to catch up? Start giving them a call. Wish your friends sent random thinking-of-you cards? Send a few and I’m sure your friends will follow suit. Wish your friends had the tradition of going away once a year? Text a few and propose the idea of picking a weekend sometime in 2020.
In fact, I rounded up a list of five simple items you can do TODAY to be the type of friend you want to have. I am a big fan of starting small (hence this newsletter idea- focusing on first just bringing joy to our Mondays vs. tackling the whole week). What if every Monday it was part of your routine to do one of the below items? That sounds easy enough, right? And I bet if you adopted that habit, you would reap the rewards of intentionally investing in your friendships.
The reward is different for everyone, but my hope is that you experience what my mom has… reconnecting with the happy, relaxed and centred version of yourself after spending time pouring into your friends.
Five Things You Can Do Today To Be The Friend You Want To Have:
- Make a list of all your friends’ birthdays. Put the dates in your calendar along with a reminder three weeks before the birthday. This way, you’ll have time to find and send a card or gift.
- Send a quick “thinking of you” text to the first friend that pops in your head on either your way to or from work every Monday.
- Start allocating a small amount of money from each paycheck to create a “girls weekend fund”. Then, when the time comes to plan the trip, you already have resources ready to go.
- More on this below, but create a simple survey asking friends their favorite candy/holiday/flower etc. Send it out to your besties and have all the information you need for the next time you want to surprise and delight someone.
- Start following funny meme accounts on Instagram and tag friends in posts that remind you of them. This tip is actually one that I got from my friend Kit. It’s so simple, but it is such an easy way to let someone know you are thinking of them.
Let me know if you have other tips that help you to invest in your friends! I am always looking for new ideas and would love to hear yours. 🙂
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 but don’t want to scroll Instagram again, here is a roundup of five positive things on my radar:
- Check out the career advice given in this podcast from Instagram’s Director of Fashion Partnerships Eva Chen. The advice (from 12:43 to 15:54) centers around how sometimes it’s best to NOT plan everything. As an avid planner, I felt like I really needed to hear that message!
- Here is a link to the survey (via Google form) I mentioned above. It’s set up so that you should be able to make a copy and send out to your friends, if you are interested. I first saw this idea from someone I follow on Instagram (thanks, @KristinWinchester!) and thought it was so smart. The idea is to send out this survey to friends and collect all sorts of information from favorite candy to go-to Starbucks orders. Then, when you want to surprise your friend with a treat (great way to maintain those friendships!), you have all this information at your disposal. I’ll also include a screenshot of the questions on my Instagram story today, so make sure you are following @meganmondaymotivation.
- This is the best mascara… and it’s under $10! I am not a huge makeup person, but the one makeup product I do wear pretty much every day is mascara. I’ve tried many expensive brands and have completely fallen in love with this drugstore find. I love how long it makes your lashes look, the price point and how easily it comes off. Someone even asked if I got eyelash extensions once when I wore it!
- If you were in a sorority and want to laugh and reminisce this Monday, listen to this satirical (and hilarious) recap of sorority life. While there are MANY things I question about sororities/Greek life as a whole, I cannot deny the fact that it led me to some of the most amazing, strongest and inspiring ladies in my life. Many of whom remain my best friends today. While listening to this podcast episode, I was laughing out loud reflecting on different memories from those four years.
- I was SO excited when I saw this Instagram post about a new Drybar product. It launches Nov. 27 and I am really hoping someone I know gets one so I can hear how it is! I recently bought this Revlon One Step Dryer Brush (on sale right now!) and am obsessed with how quickly I can blow out my hair. I am a big fan of other Drybar products so am very interested to try!
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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