...dOn'T hAtE mOnDaYs...

Have you ever seen a poster that says "I hate Fridays!"? Of course not. Fridays are looked forward to because we are tired and ready for fun...ready to be done with everyday stresses...excited to go have fun and spend time with friends and family. Mondays on the other hand...Mondays get a bad rap. Everyone hates Monday.

Monday is the day everyone drags around complaining about their job. It's like it's okay to be negative or unhappy on Mondays. It's almost expected. I use to feel this way. My house is always a wreck Monday morning. I feel regretful for all the bad, crappy food I ate over the weekend. My kids don't want to go to school. I'm thinking about everything I have to accomplish during the week and it can get really depressing and overwhelming if I let it. I'm not sure when it happened, but a while back that changed for me. I look at Mondays differently now. Instead of dreading Mondays, I try to look forward to them and frankly I have little patience for the incessant Monday b****ing. Here's what I say to anyone that feels the need to complain about Mondays...

If there's something you don't like about your life...CHANGE IT! If you hate your job, do something different. If you are unhappy with your reflection in the mirror...get up...NOW...and DO SOMETHING about it! LIVE the life you want and do it with commitment and passion. Stop doing what you think everyone else wants you to do and start really living.I know there are people saying, "But I can't just quit my job." or "I'll start my diet next week." I'm saying ,"Yes you can!" Maybe you can't walk in today and tell your boss to "Take this job and shove it!" because you have a family to support...bills to pay. What you can do is make a plan...with a deadline. Make a choice and stop being scared. Hold yourself accountable.

My all time workout hero is Mark Twight. He is really rough around the edges...offensive to some...but this is what he preaches. He says,

"Burn the bridge. Nuke the foundation. Back yourself up against a wall. Have an opinion one way or the other, get off the fence and rip it up. Cut yourself off so there is no going back. Once you're committed the truth will come out. You ask about security? What you need is uncertainty. What you need is confusion; something that forces you to reinvent yourself, a whip to drive you harder. "

Sounds harsh? Maybe it is, but have you ever met a successful football coach that babys his players and makes practice comfortable? Uhhh...NO. If you want to be strong, you have to do things that are scary sometimes. If you want to be strong, you have to do things that are uncomfortable...things that are hard. If you want to be strong, you cannot hide behind excuses or give up the first time you fail.

Get out a piece of paper right now. Hell, right on your hand if you have to. Write down something you are going to do differently...something that you want to improve upon...and DO IT! Don't tuck it away and continue to groan about the fact that it's Monday. Show it to someone and be accountable. Make the changes that you need to make to become better...stronger...and start doing them now. Trade your powdered donuts and pop tarts for eggs and bacon. Get in the gym and push yourself harder than you ever have. Surround yourself with people that make you want to do more, not those that seek to drag you down.

Don't hate Monday. USE Monday. Appreciate it for what it is...a fresh start...a chance to have a completely different week than you had the week before...an opportunity to become a whole new you...an excuse to cut things out of your life that no longer add to the quality of it. Do something different and CHOOSE the life you want...today!

~Marsha