Monday, 3/17/25: Talking about what’s on my radar this morning

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 and some 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 a fun weekend celebrating St. Patrick’s Day with friends visiting and friends here in Chicago, fun conversations and WARM weather Friday and Saturday (let’s just look past the fact it snowed Sunday…).

TODAY: Happy (actual) St. Patrick’s Day! I have a fun holiday dessert, so I’m most excited to have that later today.

INTENTION: My intention this week is to get in bed early to read each night.

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

On My Monday Radar

Each Monday, this newsletter rotates between featuring personal reflection essays and a round-up of links, recommendations and other positive things on my radar. If you are looking for some content to ease into your week with, take a look through the links below! Hope you enjoy.

Today is a fun edition of “On My Monday Radar” as I’ve asked some special guests to contribute. I’m coming off a great weekend with my mom, childhood best friend (Maura, who also used to live in Chicago!) and Maura’s mom Julia. The four of us – plus a few more friends! – celebrated and enjoyed all the St. Patrick’s Day festivities together. A fun time as had by all! So, over coffee at my apartment one morning, I asked them all if they were ‘obsessed’ with anything lately. Here’s what they had to say!: 

• Let’s get started with a great book-related find: Maura is loving Kindle Unlimited. For a monthly subscription fee, you get access to a vast library of digital books to borrow and read… without due dates! This sounds like a great service – especially if you read a lot. For a flat fee, you can read as many books as you want! It also sounds like a great way to experiment with new genres or authors – without any worry about wasting money. If you don’t like the book, you can easily move on to another book offered with Kindle Unlimited. 
• Julia (Maura’s mom) is loving her Dazzle Dry at-home nail kit. I’m a devoted twice-a-month gel manicure at the nail salon kind of person, but that obviously gets expensive and time consuming, so I’m intrigued by this! According to Julia, it is a four-step process, easy enough to do yourself and lasts two weeks (at least!). I saw it for myself this weekend and thought her nails looked great :). Love that this system offers a salon-quality manicure at home, saving both time and money! 
• My mom is loving her Dr. Jart tinted BB cream, and she was so excited when she saw it was 50% at Sephora this weekend (love those ‘Deals of the Day!’). The BB cream is a great hydrating moisturizer with a natural-looking finish. Sounds like it would be great for the summer! 

Thanks, ladies! And here are a few things I’m loving after a weekend of hosting:

• These bath towels received multiple compliments this weekend. Whenever someone commented on them, I was so excited to tell them they are from…wait for it… Target!! They are really great: very big and plush and have an attached loop for easy hanging on a hook. 
• Is anyone else unsure about which candle scent to burn right now? We’ve moved past the evergreen and pine scents of winter, but it still doesn’t feel quite right to switch to floral or tropical summer scents. My friend Emily recommended this Santal and Ginger candle (also from Target) and I picked a few up before having company. Loved burning them this weekend! It’s a great scent for this in-between time, not too overpowering and got a lot of compliments from guests. 
• If you are looking for holiday pajamas (really for any upcoming holiday!), check these out. The Mulligan ladies surprised us with matching St. Patrick’s Day pajamas, which made our weekend so much more fun. We all commented how soft and comfortable the pajamas were! 

Picture of the 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