Megan's Monday Motivation
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Monday, 7/11/22: Talking about notes from June and ways to be hopeful

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 I was able to attend my friend’s wedding on Saturday (so fun!!), have time to relax and read and for my long walk on Sunday.   

TODAY: I’ve been wanting to get some flowers for around my apartment, so today, I’m most excited to pick some up this morning on a pre-work coffee run. Give me all the hydrangeas please 🙂

INTENTION: My intention this week is to write down three things that went well at the end of each day. 

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

Meaningful Musings: Notes from June

As one of the items on my 22 in 2022 list, I’m writing a quick recap at the end of each month with 10 things I want to remember. June marks the halfway point through the year – which is just crazy – but so far,  I’m enjoying this ritual. I like taking a moment to pause, remember the little things, and think about what I’m excited for next. 

If you are looking for an activity to pep up your Monday, give this a try. Scroll through your photos or reference your calendar from the past couple weeks and make a quick list of memories – a lot can happen that we forget about, right?! 

Hope you have a great Monday. 🙂 

June’s 10 Things: 

  1. During one of the first weekends in June, my mom was in town for business and able to tag on a few days to hang out with me. It was so nice! Lots of walking, talking and a little shopping. We even stumbled upon Lincoln Park’s Greek Fest after dinner one night and thoroughly enjoyed singing along to the 80’s cover band. So fun. 
  2. Speaking of shopping, I am very impressed with Old Navy’s activewear right now, particularly their workout skirts. My mom is the one who turned me on to them. Perfect for running errands or working from home! I have this one (in the lavender color!) and this one (but in black, which looks like it might not be available anymore). 
  3. I watched some great shows and read good books in June. I’d say the theme of the month was “comfort content.” TV shows wise, I watched The Summer I Turned Pretty in a matter of days (perfect summer vibe & omg the music!) and also started and finished Julia on HBO. Loved both. 
  4. On the book front, I leaned hard into the “fun” books on my summer reading list. Think my favorite of the month was Rivals, which is the third book in the American Royals series by Katharine McGee. The book definitely skews “young adult,” it but captured my attention from the beginning and I will now be eagerly awaiting the fourth book to come out because of the way Rivals ended with a massive cliffhanger. 
  5. Two other books I read and enjoyed in June: Here’s To Us and Meant to Be Mine. Both were just okay, but filled with lovable characters and interesting storylines. HOWEVER. The “craziest” thing happened when I read them. The plot of Here’s to Us takes place over the course of a weekend, with chapters divided between Friday, June 17 to Monday, June 20. Even though I picked up this book by random, I started reading it on Friday, June 17 and finished on Monday, June 20. Seriously! And then, in  Meant to Be Mine, the plot kicks off with an important happening on Friday, June 24. And guess what day I started reading it? Yep, Friday, June 24. What does this all mean?!  
  6. I was in the market for some new wine glasses in June after accidentally breaking one of mine while washing it (oops). I purchased two from CB2 (one for red wine and one for white) and love them! Not only were they inexpensive, but I love the look and they feel durable. 
  7. In June, I went to my first Wrigley Field concert! This has been on my Chicago bucket list since moving here and I finally did it with some last-minute tickets to Dead & Company (John Mayer!!). It was a perfect Friday summer night, with some really great people watching :). 
  8. I started using this weekly planner in June and really like it. I have a journal I use as a daily planner, but I wanted something where I could write out all my meetings and commitments for the week, allowing me to see my week “at a glance,” if you will. This planner has been working out great for just that! Plus, the lavender color (which is the one I got) is very cute. 
  9. One of the items on my summer fun list is to do a weekly “big adventure & little adventure.” I got the idea here and it’s really fun! It’s definitely pushing me to plan some fun into my weeks and distinguish them from one to the next. 
  10. Speaking of summer, I just love how early the sun rises. It makes it so much easier to get up! I’m naturally a morning person, but there is something about the sun rising early that makes me feel like I’m getting more hours in the day.

And a few things I’m looking forward to in July…

  • Visiting family in Pennsylvania for the Fourth! (This already happened and was a blast :)).
  • Going to my friend Brianna’s wedding. Also something that already happened – this past weekend – and wow, what a GREAT time. So special to be there for it. 
  • My friend Amy is visiting me in July, and I can’t wait for some quality time and to bop around the city together. 
  • And of course, just looking forward to continuing to enjoy Summertime Chi! Summer seems to always go by in a flash but trying to make the most of the season.

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:  

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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