Monday, 6/3/24: Talking about getting through a turbulent time

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: From my weekend, I am thankful for a fun appointment on Saturday, catching up with my mom on the phone and laughs from my co-workers. 

TODAY: I’m most excited to start reading my new book tonight – been saving this one for June!

INTENTION: My intention this week is to focus on staying calm and knowing I can handle anything that comes my way.

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

Meaningful Musings: The Best Way Out is Through

I was in Denver for work last week and on my flight home we experience horrible turbulence. Definitely the worst I’ve ever experienced. 

I am not a nervous flyer, but I do easily get motion sickness and therefore have never been a fan of things like roller coasters. The pilot gave us a heads up that we would be hitting some bumps as we tried to navigate around storms, but I started to get anxious when he came on a few minutes later, urgently asking flight attendants to take their seats  and for all passengers to check our seat belts and the seat belts of those next to us. 

As we went up and down, I gripped the sides of my seat and shut my eyes tight. Logically, I knew we would be OK, but in the moment, I felt scared and rather uncomfortable. 

For some reason, “The best way out is through” was the mantra that kept repeating in my mind.  

As Robert Frost writes in one of his poems, A Servant to Servants:

By good rights I ought not to have so much
Put on me, but there seems no other way.
Len says one steady pull more ought to do it.
He says the best way out is always through.
And I agree to that, or in so far
As that I can see no way out but through –
Leastways for me – and then they’ll be convinced.

There are times when things are swirling around us and we are limited in what we can do or control. During the worst of the turbulence, I found comfort in the smallest of things: focusing on my breath, feeling gratitude for a smile from the person next to me, and reminding myself this was temporary. 

After the turbulence subsided and I was able to release my grip, I realized that was exactly the reminder I needed. Sometimes, when in the middle of something challenging or stressful or hard, the best way out is through. And the littlest things can bring us comfort. 

Hope you do something small for yourself this Monday. Onwards through the day!

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