How to turn your Monday morning blues to Monday morning mania
Most people are unaware of how their jobs are becoming their identities. Assume you live for 70 years. The first 26 years get attributed to growing up and the last 10 to a relaxed retirement. You then have 34 years sandwiched in between.
The total number of days in 34 years is 12,410 (34 x 365 days), ignoring the leap years. If we take away the
weekends, you are left with 8,864 workdays.
If you live in a country like India, which has many holidays, let’s assume you get 20 holidays per year. You are now left with a total of 8,184 days to work. These 8,184 days mark your professional life, which is an inevitable 66 percent of your life and predominantly defines your identity. You eventually get referred to as a software engineer, a government school teacher, a designer, a photographer, or one of the myriad other professions people engage in.
Do we deserve to be stressed for three-fourths of our active lifetime? Shouldn’t we be cheerful, motivated, and eagerly looking forward to each working day?
“Blues” is a term loosely used to denote a mild form of depression or sadness. As Monday mornings are right after a relaxed two-day weekend (for most people), the depressed state of mind that we feel in the morning while getting ready for work is often referred to as Monday Morning Blues.
The effects are not limited just to Monday mornings but carry on throughout the entire week until Thursdays, only changing to sudden enthusiasm on Fridays.
If there’s a marked difference in your mood and mindset between taking a walk at an exotic holiday resort and that of the office corridor on a typical weekday, it calls for a quick fix to attain job satisfaction.
On a similar eventful morning, I asked myself a very simple question – why have I not cracked the formula to feel totally motivated to go to work every day over 15 years of a mainstream career?
I winced at my failure to not overcome the so-called Monday Blues, which had continuously plagued me all the while. I decided to conquer Monday Blues within 30 days. I was going to shrug off what has been successfully sticking with me for so long, in only 30 days.
In the next 30 days, I transitioned from one golden rule to another, and by the end of it all, I discovered four path-breaking rules to effectively bounce off all negativities at work. They are:
- Taking complete ownership of my destiny
- Silently saying no when needed
- Creating intangible importance around your contribution
- Living with one notion – “Nobody is watching and the work you do is for your own success”
These four rules helped me shape my mindset in such a way that no matter what negativity I encounter at the workplace, I stay unaffected, develop an acceptance for how things are, and keep moving on with what I need to get done at work. Gradually, my response to the scenarios caught up with my colleagues and I was even able to instil positivity in everyone around me.
While these four rules formed the bedrock of how I manoeuvered the corporate jungle, I was pleasantly surprised when I stumbled upon a great realization – knowing what you want and defining that want into a clear narrative can lead to a purpose-driven life.
All successful and happy people on this planet share a common trait – they know precisely what they want. That is what the ultimate formula for attaining job satisfaction ultimately is.
The power of having a clear narrative of what you “want” is so immense that it magically attracts all the necessary information, resources, cooperation, and finally luck towards you. It’s like having a crystal clear vision of your goals, and then the universe somehow conspires (or works its butt out) to get you the success you desire.
Is there anything else in life that can beat the sensation of noticing all the outcomes and people rallying around you the way you wanted? Wouldn’t it give you ultimate job satisfaction?
When each passing day consistently draws all the desired results, then you’ll feel enthused and motivated to jump off the bed on a Monday morning, even if only to rush to work.
We have limited time in this world and most of this time is spent at the workplace while we try to secure our future. Why then does one fret on Sunday evening thinking of the approaching Monday? 30 days are all you need to transform your work life. Get started now.
Ram Prasad is the Business Head of the Supply Side Network in a marketplace startup and the author of ‘Job Satisfaction: How To Easily Conquer Taboos For Career Win’.
(Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of YourStory.)