“People don’t notice whether it’s winter or summer when they’re happy.”
–Anton Chekhov
My dog, pictured on the below, is unaware of the day. Sundays, Tuesdays, Thursdays—it doesn’t matter. They all run together in his mind. Now that’s not to say he isn’t cognizant of time. Regardless of the day, when the clock hits 5 p.m. my scruffy haired pooch knows his dish will soon be filled with delicious kibble.
See, my dog’s internal clock is right on with the hour hand of a grandfather clock but he has no concept of days. Perhaps because his only obligations involve nightly walks or daily Frisbee games, but I think it’s critical to notice something else here:
Humans are the only species dependent on a calendar.
Elephants don’t worry about what day it is…they just go about their business doing elephant-like activities. But human beings, no human beings are so quick to rush through life that we dictate schedules and plans and calendars.
Which brings me to my topic today… Mondays:
Every single Monday, as students and working adults are heading back to their labor, I hear the following complaints:
"The weekend was way too short."
"I’m not ready to come back to classes/work."
"I hate Mondays."
And while, I won’t pretend I’m never guilty of any of these, I did have a big realization one day. Monday is just one day out of a seven day week. Mondays account for 1/7 or 14% of your life.
14%
Are you honestly going to let 14% of your life slide by???
Sure it’s a Monday. Sure you’ve been busy all weekend. You’ve had some down time to catch up with friends or get some work done around the house. Perhaps you volunteered at a soup kitchen or paid a visit to out of town relatives. Maybe you’ve had the best weekend in the world.
So why let that enthusiasm stop?
Why not ride that wave of joy and euphoria straight into Monday and kick off the new week with love and excitement?
Mondays don’t have to be a bad, scary, anticipated thing. It’s just another day…but above that, it’s another chance to get it right.
On behalf of The Smile Project, I hope everybody has a wonderful Monday, today, and every week for the rest of your life.