Monday, 4/10/23: Talking about notes from March and a movie

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 the beautiful weather, a fun Saturday night with Matt and a wonderful Easter celebration yesterday. 

TODAY: I’m most excited for my run this morning in the sun.

INTENTION: My intention this week is to spend time outside! Weather looks beautiful this whole week (surprisingly!) and I want to take full advantage. 

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

Meaningful Musings: Notes from March 

Sharing my monthly recap for March this morning! I love taking a moment to scroll through my photos and reference my calendar to think about what I enjoyed, learned and want to remember from the month that just passed. 

First a check-in, on some of the intentions I set at the beginning of March… 

I accomplished two of the four, which I’m calling a win: 

• Pay special attention to mornings I love a slow, peaceful morning and I’m glad I prioritized mornings during the month of March. Even if it meant missing some of my morning workouts, I think making sure I had morning me-time to sip my coffee, read and have time to myself is what got me through the month. 
• Daily pushups. Didn’t do this again (and didn’t do in February either), so am letting this aspiration go altogether, lol. Maybe in the future! 
• Carve out time to write. Didn’t do this either – that’s okay! Just not the right month for it. 
• Track sunny days. I’ve done this every March/April for the past couple of years. It helps keep things in perspective when I start to complain that “the sun is NEVER out.” 

Some other highlights from March… 

• OKAY – this is why I love doing these recaps!! I started off this recap writing that I didn’t have much to report this month because it was very work-heavy. And it was (mostly in a good way!). But as I reflected some more on what happened over the course of the month, I realized I also had some very special – and fun – connections. Sometimes what comes to mind first isn’t the full story. Glad this practice helps me remember all that can happen over the course of a month. 
• One example of one of those connections is two of my best friends visiting for Chicago St. Patrick’s Day. It was too much fun. So glad we got to experience the festivity together! And nothing beats that feeling of being with friends who you pick up right where you left off. 
• I haven’t been to a bridal shower in years and got the chance to go to one in March. Matt and I went to Indianapolis for his brother’s fiancée’s shower. It was a delightful afternoon and really felt like the kickoff to the wedding celebrations! Loved it. 
• One of my favorite Saturdays in March included celebrating my friend Macalla’s birthday. I love (and am so thankful for) the group of friends I’ve made in Chicago. It really feels like some of us have “grown up” together over the past 6+ years! Our lives all look a little different now than when we were 22/23, so was glad to have this opportunity to all get together again (thanks, Mac!! :)) 
• One of my relatives, Lara (I know Lara reads this – so HI!!), was in Chicago for a conference in March and I was so happy Matt and I got to see her and get dinner with her! We went to Ema, which was great. Great food, great company, great conversation = perfect night. 
• A favorite March tradition of mine is the March Madness bracket my Uncle Chip organizes. There’s a fair amount of “friendly” competition, including a very active group chat with ongoing trivia questions and prizes. It’s so much fun. And I still can’t believe my bracket WON this year!!! It’s especially surprising since I picked Purdue to win it all… but I’ll take it! 
• And finally, while I am trying to be more mindful around shopping purchases this year, I do love to buy a few new pieces when the seasons start to change. I was selective with what I bought this month, but am so excited about this floral dress and this blue/white embroidered dress. Cannot wait to wear both once the weather warms up!

What was your favorite part of March?

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:  

• Matt and I saw the movie Air last week and really liked it! Also, I can’t remember the last time I saw a movie in an actual movie theater. Glad I saw this one in theaters! The cast was amazing.
• The other day, I saw a quote the other day that read, “Spring: a lovely reminder of how beautiful change can be.” I chuckled to myself because I think in Chicago it is more like, “Spring: a lovely reminder of how beautiful change can sometimes be.” (Spring weather here is either wonderful or terrible). Regardless, I will still take suggestions from this article – how to romanticize your life this spring. All about romanticizing!
• OMG – I feel seen, haha. Love a 9:30 bedtime.  

Picture of the Week

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:  

• Matt and I saw the movie Air last week and really liked it! Also, I can’t remember the last time I saw a movie in an actual movie theater. Glad I saw this one in theaters! The cast was amazing.
• The other day, I saw a quote the other day that read, “Spring: a lovely reminder of how beautiful change can be.” I chuckled to myself because I think in Chicago it is more like, “Spring: a lovely reminder of how beautiful change can sometimes be.” (Spring weather here is either wonderful or terrible). Regardless, I will still take suggestions from this article – how to romanticize your life this spring. All about romanticizing!
• OMG – I feel seen, haha. Love a 9:30 bedtime.  

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