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Hate Mondays?
It is a question that seems obvious. Everybody hates Mondays … or doesn’t they?
It is one of those things that, by repeating them so much, have become accepted truth. Because… who really likes to spend eight hours a day locked up in a job that they don’t like, to collect money that is not enough for them and wait for the end that is too short?
So… Is Garfield correct: Mondays suck? At least for many.
It does not have to be like that. You can love Mondays. And when you do, your world will have completely changed.
A trip without a map
This is a law of the universe: We hate Mondays when our work is purposeless . It is horrible to get up at five in the morning, exhausted and have to ask ourselves “and what is all this for? Is this my life? “
And trust me, it’s not just about the size of your check or the amount of your bonus. I know millionaires who also hate Mondays, as do thousands of employees at all levels.
I also know people in simple jobs who love Mondays. People in high positions who love Mondays and people in business who also look forward to Mondays with an expectant smile.
It is not about the money. It’s about purpose.
The purpose is that which moves us, that pushes us, that calls us: it is the summit, the dream, the vision, the hope, the reason and the end. It is our mission. Purposeful people love Mondays. Purposeless people hate them. What can be done?
A stop along the way
It is time to make a stop along the way; a voluntary pause – before there is a forced pause from exhaustion or illness – to ask ourselves some serious questions.
There are only three questions. Take an afternoon or a weekend. Take even an hour. Instead of looking for a simple escape on Netflix or in a bar, find a quiet space and dare to make the decision to think.
Then address these three questions.
- I’m happy?
- Am I where I should be?
- Do I know where I am going?
They can be tough questions. But don’t be scared. Deep down, you know the answer. When you were a child, you knew what you wanted – you wanted to be an astronaut or a vet or a warrior – but life passed and now you are in a job and in a place that does not fill you at all.
You have a void in your soul that you don’t know how to fill. Probably that emptiness manifests itself in other parts of your life: in your family, in your wallet, in your health. We have to do something. But, unlike when you were a child, today there is no one who can decide for you. You have to do it … and the sooner the better.
If the answer to any of these questions is “no,” it’s time to move. It is time to consider a different project, to get back on the path that leads you to where you want to be. Maybe this will take you a year, five years, or ten years. Sound like a lot to you? Maybe in ten years you will be ten years older. The question is if you want, then, to be happy, or to continue in this space that is not yours.
A new map
So tell me. Where do you want to be? What is your mission?
Don’t be scared by questions if they seem philosophical to you. These are normal questions that all human beings have to ask ourselves. Successful people in every sense (not just financially) are people who find their mission and follow it with purpose: they are people who are in their element, where they are supposed to be.
Time to build your map.
Tell me, first, where you want to go. You decide that. Maybe you want to be an entrepreneur, or have more money, or be happier, or spend more time with your family, or travel more. Stop running away from yourself and commit to your own vision. Be honest and say: I want this. It can be whatever you want: you are totally free. It’s your map. You can choose to go to “China” or to “Paris”. It doesn’t matter if that place is near or far. The important thing is that you start walking.
Once you’ve decided where you’re going, it’s time to decide how you’re going to get there. And to advance on this map, we have two powerful weapons: our vehicle and gasoline.
Your vehicle is your talents.
Gasoline will be made of your passions.
So the rule is simple: to get to China you have to go to China; have a good vehicle and see that there is no shortage of gasoline . As sure as the sun rises tomorrow; maybe in a year or maybe ten: you’re going to get to China. I guarantee you.
It is not time to jump into the void
It’s not about you quitting your job and abandoning your family. On the contrary. It’s about you starting to love Mondays .
If you are willing to do so, start by exploring your talents and passions.
Perhaps you have always loved to paint; or carpentry, or teaching. Maybe you have a talent for music or sales. Talents are what you do well; better than the others and more easily. We all have talents and it is not a lack of humility to know and recognize them.
Talents are an important clue to your mission – your talents are your vehicle. Your talents will take you further if you take advantage of them. If you get into a different vehicle, you may advance, but it will be much more difficult. Your talents are unique – they are yours alone.
Passions are the things that we love, that we love, and that we can spend hours on without losing momentum. They are the things in which we can lose hours without realizing it.
So without leaving your job, immediately start exploring your talents. Stop running away at night and on weekends, looking to entertain or distract yourself. Instead, sign up for that class, take that workshop, join that club, and explore your talents. You will meet new people who will teach you a lot and value you more.
Your eyes will open and you will begin to see opportunities where there were none before. Project, road, business opportunities.
When the time is right, start a business that involves your talents and passions. Open that bakery, organize that class, develop that invention, write that book. You don’t have to start big. Start small, search your market and find your niche. Do not leave your job yet , but start creating a side business that you are passionate about, take advantage of your talent and generate economic flow.
Walk, walk, walk
There is only one rule here: the money generated by this new business (YOUR business, which only YOU can do), do not exhaust it in current expenses! Invest everything in your own business or in some type of investment. Even if it is a hundred pesos; A thousand pesos; ten thousand pesos. Don’t spend it on vacation or tennis. This money is not “extra”, but it is your future.
This money is a snowball. Let your salary cover your expenses and do not go into debt anymore. The money from YOUR business is to invest in your future and that of your family. Keep walking.
In a few years (in my experience, between two and five years) you will have a choice: for the first time, a true breath of freedom:
- Finally, leave your job to dedicate yourself 100% to a project that you love, that is in your element and that has already been growing.
- Keep working and maintain your side business, while building a revolving equity that will give you financial peace of mind.
In either case, I promise you something: you will have discovered that you have a choice: that you are not tied to that tie and that cubicle. You will be able to help your family and friends more. You will feel free: you will have discovered that you can make your map and walk with purpose. You will be doing what you enjoy; charging to do it and, above all … you will love Mondays.
After all, you can live waiting for Friday to get away; or, instead, forge a life you don’t need to escape from.
https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/383173