Megan's Monday Motivation
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Monday, 8/15/22: Talking about dealing with minor inconveniences and podcasts

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 a fun dinner Saturday night, time to run errands and catching up with friends Sunday.

TODAY: Today I’m most excited to finish the book I’m reading (loving it!).  

INTENTION: My intention this week is to have two “no-spend” days. 

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

Meaningful Musings: Minor Inconveniences 

The other week for work, I had the opportunity to assist with an in-person workshop for a client. I was really excited! And a bit nervous. But mostly excited!

For the workshop (which was being held at a hotel near the office), my colleague and I weren’t needed on-site until mid-morning. So, I made a plan to go into the office for a few hours to get some work done and print some materials before heading over. 

The morning of the workshop, everything was going well. My bus was on time, the weather was cooperating, I was feeling good about my speaking parts. Yay!

Right on schedule, my bus pulled up to the stop in front of the office, and I jumped off, shuffling across the street with the other commuting professionals.

I was making my mental to-do list, prioritizing which task I would do first, when I heard a “pop!” that stopped me dead in my tracks.

Oh no, I thought.

Hesitantly, I glanced down and saw that one of the straps of my (very cute, might I add) sandals had snapped off, making the shoe impossible to walk in.

Oh no no no no, I thought again. I had a moment of panic (of all the days for this to happen!) before taking a deep breath and going into problem solving mode: It was too early for any shoe stores to be open, but I clocked that I enough time to run back home and grab another pair (thereby sacrificing that mental to-do list I had just made). I retreated back to the bus stop and jumped on the next one headed in the opposite direction.

As I got settled on the bus, I took a deep breath, but I couldn’t shake that heart-racing, frantic feeling. Everything would fine – thankfully this hadn’t happened DURING the presentation and thankfully I had extra time – but ugh! Why can minor inconveniences derail our days and our moods so much?

As I got back on the bus again – with new, more secure shoes on my feet – I thought about something I’d read recently.

Somewhere recently, author James Clear wrote, “There are many situations in life you do not control, but you often contribute to them. I cannot control the rain, but I can control my clothing. I cannot control your feelings, but I can control my kindness. I cannot control my opponent, but I can control my response. You cannot control most outcomes in life, but you can usually influence them.”

I couldn’t control that a minor inconvenience had changed around my plans for that morning, but I could contribute to and influence the energy I brought to the rest of my day. Sure is easier said than done though 😉

Unfortunately, minor inconveniences are a given. But as I reflected on this James Clear quote and my shoe-breaking incident over the next couple days, I thought about three things I want to remember when it comes to dealing with minor inconveniences.

Three Reminders for Dealing with Minor Inconveniences:

  1. Slow is smooth and smooth is fast. I love this saying. There’s differing opinions about where it comes from, but it seems to be widely attributed to the U.S. Navy Seals. I think it’s such a good reminder. How many times has my rushing or multi-tasking caused one of those minor inconveniences that end up making everything take longer? There really is power in slowing down, focusing on one thing at a time and moving through things smoothly. I have to repeat this mantra to myself constantly. 
  2. Preparation is key. Let’s face it: being able to take your time is a luxury. It’s not always possible, but when it is, it requires some upfront action in terms of preparation. One area I’m continually trying to work on when it comes to preparation (especially preparing for minor inconveniences) is getting real about how long things take. It’s so easy to underestimate time! For example, I used to think of my commute time as just the time I was actually on the bus instead of front door-to-office door. This meant any inconvenience that happened while waiting for my building’s elevator, walking to the bus stop or waiting for the bus majorly threw things off. Luckily, I’ve changed how I thought in terms of how long it takes to get to and from work so when the inevitable happens (like a shoe breaking!) I was realistically able to determine if I could make it home and back.
  3. …But so is adaptability. There’s an Eisenhower quote I love that goes, “In preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable.” Preparation IS key, but all the preparation in the world can’t safeguard against circumstances that change our best laid plans in an instant. For me, I find planning extremely helpful in terms of helping me identify priorities. But remembering our plans are intentions and not pass/fails helps us adapt on the fly and focus on what matters most.

We are not in control of the circumstances that lay ahead of us this Monday. But we are in control of thinking about how we want to contribute to and influence them. What do you think?

Do you have any reminders that help you deal with minor inconveniences? Would love to hear!

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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