Start Mondays Strong

Dear High Achiever:

I LOVE THE SAYING, “How you enter a room is often how you exit.” This is a quote I programmed and locked into my brain many years ago. I don’t know who said it, BUT IT WORKS. If you haven’t heard it before I hope you consider adding it to your arsenal of “top-of-mind” phrases. I repeat it to myself before I enter any business networking event, meeting or speaking engagement. It helps me remember to always smile sincerely, approach and greet people first, and radiate positive energy.

But wait, there’s more. I also think about it every morning when I go to the gym, but I use it in a slightly different context than I do for business. I prepare myself psychologically and physiologically as well. I’ve learned that when I enter the gym wide-awake, fired up and ready for a great work-out, I usually have one. So I set my expectations upfront as to the level of my performance and output in the gym.

FYI ACTION IDEA: It’s more than just a mind-set. It’s an important part of getting the most out of each workout and achieving the fitness results I am committed to reaching.

Of course, I recommend having this mind-set every day. But it is extremely important – even critical to have it on Monday.

Maybe I should trade with Geoff today and call this column TGIM – Thank Goodness It’s Monday.

Mondays to me are like Christmas. It’s my favorite day of the week. My wish is that you are as excited about starting the week and being inspired every Monday morning as I am. It’s one of the reasons this e-newsletter is published every Monday morning and this column’s titled FYI (For Your Inspiration).

Unfortunately, not everyone is fired up on Monday.

I caught a Monster.com commercial one afternoon while watching a football game last year and it had a significant impact on me. It showed thousands of people lethargically getting out of bed, walking out of their houses in their pajamas and up to the top of a hill. They were all carrying an object they could use as a shield to stop the sun from rising so they wouldn’t have to face Monday and starting another week in their job.

Great commercial, sad situation. It’s a reality I hear all too often from people and it makes me feel a tremendous amount of empathy every time. People share how they hate their job and how waking up Monday morning is one of the hardest things they have to do. The thought of facing another week in a job they can’t stand, working with people who are as apathetic as they are, is literally sucking the life out of them.

I hope this does not describe your situation, and if it does, I hope this FYI gives you some insight and inspiration to change it.

Because you have the power to change all of it,
if you believe you can!

It’s not about the job. At least, not at first. What the people in that Monster ad don’t realize is, it’s not the job that requires changing first. When you start the day with your head in the wrong place, no job in the world is going to be as rewarding as you imagine it could be. In fact, virtually nothing is your world will be as rewarding as it could and should be.

Sure, to begin to change you have to start the process somewhere. One strategy and success clue is to Start Monday’s Strong. It’s the title of a journal entry in my new weight-loss and exercise book. I talk about the importance of positive momentum.

Positive momentum is your friend! Having a good night sleep on Sunday and starting off Monday strong helps build momentum for the entire week. Whether it’s a diet and exercise program, your work week or raising your kids, each week you are building the foundation that will have a positive and lasting change on your life and perhaps someone else’s, forever.

You see, even if you despise your current job, the pain is only temporary. You have to focus your mind on everything you need to do to be strong in every other area of your life to begin to attract and be open to new opportunities. If you allow the 40 or 60 hours of your work week to suck the life out of the other one-hundred-plus hours of your life each week, you are missing the message. Maybe you should

Flip your thinking around. Use those other hours to get to a place where you can create an opportunity so you love every minute of the 168 hours are given.

I love Sunday’s with my family, going to church, my kid’s activities and sporting events, and having family over to hang and hopefully catch some sporting event on ESPN. (Okay, I’m a sports fanatic, whatever.)

But I know I’ve got to make this extra-special day happen. Life demands that I do the real-world things that create the circumstances for this special day. That’s in good part why I’m pumped about Monday. In my mind, Monday is the day that sets the tone for my week that’s going to take me to that next special Sunday.

Because it’s the start of a brand new week that I never lived before, I imagine all of the opportunity and positive experiences I can create or be a part of.

If I don’t start my Monday off strong, I feel like I’m falling behind. It’s a personal feeling and I’ve anchored the importance of positive momentum and having a powerful Monday so it’s become a success habit for me. I am an ambassador of getting up early and working out before you start your day. In my mind the “sacrifice” of going to bed early and waking up at 4:30 or 5:00 am to work out is well worth the mental and physical benefit/pay-off I receive.

In my book I refer to NOT Starting Monday Strong as the “Falling Behind Factor.” Falling behind opens the door for your mind to start to play with you. It allows the mental enemy known as “negative self-talk” to creep in. Do everything you can to prevent that from happening. One of the best ways to do that is to start Monday’s strong!

Here is an excerpt from my new book; I hope you are inspired by it.

Think about what you need to do to get back on track and stay focused today. Life really is lived one day at a time. Get today under your belt, eat clean, exercise and re-focus your thoughts and your energies on your goals and desired outcome.

Today is your day. Breathe it in and get excited about what you are doing and how your health and outlook on life is improving. You will never be the same after today. You are getting stronger, healthier, more confident, and leaner, your thoughts are clear and you are having a positive impact on people around you.

You can do this!

Quote of the Day: You can’t build a reputation on what you are going to do.
– Henry Ford

Go Out and Make This Your Best Year Ever!