Monday, 2/17/20: Talking about a fun President’s Day activity, an Amazon swimsuit find and a frozen pizza hack
Happy Monday!
Whether you are working or off today, it’s another new week and time for your next Monday motivation newsletter. If you have today off work, try to do just one productive thing that will set you up for a happier week. And if you are working today, enjoy a quieter commute and treat yourself to something small as a reward!
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 the great conversation I had while catching up with good friends Saturday night, that I was able to see the SUN yesterday and the feeling of getting completely lost in a book (I cannot put down Jessica Simpson’s new memoir – so good!!).
TODAY: I am most excited about using the day off work to get organized for the week (errands, laundry, meal prep, etc.!)
INTENTION: Using the same intention as last week: get back to my morning gratitude routine. I kept forgetting to do it last week… a good reminder that starting something is harder than continuing!
Okay, your turn! And if you want to share your three steps, I am all ears. 🙂
Lesson of the Week: Personality Types
I thought the topic of personality types would be perfect for today’s newsletter for two reasons:
- Maybe you have today off work and you’re looking for something to do. And if you are working, maybe you want something that can be a quick break from the grind. Taking a quiz could be a great way to spend your time!
- And second, the below feels timely coming off a week all about love and relationships.
The below leads us to a great revelation… We all have unique personalities. We interpret and react to situations differently. And this can lead to some tricky situations and/or miscommunications in regards to relationships. What’s a big deal to me may not be a big deal to you.
I think we can infuse more happiness into any relationship by taking the time to understand and become more familiar with our own innate preferences, expectations and quirks. Additionally, learning more about different personality types helps us see things from another point of view and work to better understand our partner, work colleague, mom, best friend, etc.
So, without further ado, here are my top three favorite personality quizzes:
- The Four Tendencies by Gretchen Rubin: Simple, straightforward and only eight questions. If you only have time for one personality quiz today, I would recommend this one. This idea focuses on analyzing how we respond to outer and inner expectations. Figuring out our “tendency” helps us identify effective strategies to meet our goals, stick with habits and more. Just as important, learning about the other tendencies helps us understand and work with people more effectively. Personally, I am a textbook “Upholder.”
- The Five Love Languages by Dr. Gary Chapman: Another simple, yet powerful personality quiz. This one is all about our preferred ways to receive love. Figuring out how we receive love and how the people in our life receive love can help us all give in a more meaningful way. My love language – for better or worse – is definitely “Words of Affirmation.” Want an easy trick for figuring out someone else’s love language? Think about how that person typically gives or shows love. Our output is usually a mirror of what we hope to receive.
- The Enneagram Institute: This is the big one. “Enneagram” is derived from two Greek words meaning “nine” and something “written” or “drawn.” By definition, it is a model of the human psyche and features nine interconnected personality types. There are a lot of different tests out there (some free and some for purchase), but I wanted to make sure I was getting the most accurate Enneagram assessment (if you are familiar with this model, can you guess what number I am already?). So, I paid the $12 to access the quiz from The Enneagram Institute and spent about 30 minutes going through the 144 questions. After the quiz, you receive a ton of information about your type and the other eight types. I’ve found the information helpful for recognizing my strengths and weaknesses and identifying the ideals I value most. I am a 3 wing 2.
What do you think? Do any of these quizzes or models sound interesting to you?
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:
- Loved this podcast episode about being single. If you’ve been reading for a while, you know I am a big fan of the Bad on Paper podcast. I really enjoyed listening to the hosts answer questions last week about being single and dating. I think dating/being single is like most things in life… your perspective is everything! So, I really appreciated how this episode shined a positive light on being single. As summed up in the episode description: “If there’s one thing you take away from this episode, it’s the importance of building a life you truly love – one that feels good to YOU… with our without a partner!”
- Chicago’s only all-girls youth baseball team… The Gators! Oh my goodness, as a Gator alum, this story just made me happy. I did a double take when I saw my college’s logo in the picture and then was inspired by the story behind it. How cool are these girls for breaking down norms and pursuing their love of playing baseball?! As for the team name, it’s not tied directly to UF, but rather a nod to the elusive gator that was on the loose in Humboldt Park last July (and eventually caught by a “Florida Man.” Seriously.). Nevertheless, go girls and go Gators!!
- Flattering Amazon swimsuit for under $30. I ordered this swimsuit for a vacation I’m going on next month and was pleasantly surprised to find it is cute and flattering. And with an affordable price tag!
- Frozen pizza hacks. This blog post made me laugh. People can really be passionate about anything… including frozen pizza! However, I needed to include today because I tested the tip of cutting pizza with kitchen shears instead of a pizza wheel and OMG. It was SO much easier! You need to try the next time you are whipping up a frozen pizza.
- This is the Monday energy I’m bringing into this week. My mom sent me this video last week and I had to share. Because of this video, I promise to not complain during the next snowfall. Instead, I am going to hope that another adorable little girl gets a chance to channel her inner “Elsa.”
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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