Monday Motivation: Calling the Shots

Happy Monday and Martin Luther King Jr. Day to all. Today’s Monday Motivation is all about learning to call the shots. As much as we all have things and people in our past who for the large part of our lives have set the standards, it’s time to do your own. Instead of all of the reasons why you can’t accomplish your goals let’s focus on the reasons you can.

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Past Indicators don’t Solidify the Future

As much as we should understand our past whether actions, or triggers they don’t define our future. For example, as a kid you may have been mischievous or even lied it doesn’t mean that you are destined to lie your entire life. Understanding why you did the actions helps but you are in control of changing your behaviors. Sometimes we forget that. Remind yourself daily. You are who you choose to be. Make the choice, follow up with your actions, and get help for the places that you need help.

Your Start isn’t your Finish: Monday Push

I was born to a single mother. My biological father was there for the first few days of my and my twin’s life. He decided to not be involved. He has to life with those choices. I wasn’t destined to relive how I started. I make choices that define who I want to be. So while my start was rocky, it can only end rocky if I allow it. I choose to walk in the freedom of being amazing in every way. I have had to work through many of the issues that my start gave but as I work through them I do not allow myself to get stuck.

Monday Reset

Everyday that we wake up we get to make a decision to try to be better than the day before. I like to reset daily as a way to start a fresh day and sometimes moments in the day. Life is not easy but it is worth the energy that I put into it to get me to where I am headed. If I stop at every failure and don’t apologize when necessary, change the behavior, and press forward I will never accomplish any of my goals.

I refuse to allow the time I am on this Earth to be defined by every failure. FYI, I have a lot of them. Some I am not even remotely proud of. However doing the work to live better, think better, eat better, and be all that I can will not allow me to be stagnant in my approaches to the goals I set.

Wake Up and Make a Plan

A failure to plan is a plan to fail. Not that all plans work seamlessly. Some plans will fail. I would rather fail at striving than to fail by doing nothing with my life. If your drive and will is broken by your failed attempts I need you to fix your drive and will. It’s easier to say because life will sometimes knock the wind out of you. It is necessary. Your goals and your life depend on a few things and one of them is your will. Nothing will get done without a will to do it. This is why people fall off of their New Year Resolutions. They haven’t activated their will. Even when you know your health is on the line, without the will you will wither away.

Broken Will

I have experienced a broken will. When I was fresh out of college looking to work with a degree and the economy was trash, I was struggling. Thinking about the child that I was about to have I needed a fixed will and fast. How was I supposed to bring life into the world when I had no life in me to live. Re-read that again if you need to. I had life on the way and I needed to rejuvenate my own.

So I started asking myself what life did I envision for my child and myself? She couldn’t see me raggedy so I stepped up my game. Started saving the little bit of money I had. Cleaned up my act. I also eventually got therapy. She is the reason I began to make the changes. I wanted to change for myself and that allowed the change to be permanent. I credit my oldest as the gift that I didn’t even know I needed. No child was going to come from me and see me broken. I wanted to mirror wholeness to a child who deserved it. FYI, all children deserve whole and happy parents above money and resources. Let’s reset our Monday:

Monday Practical Tools

Journal Prompt your biggest fear. This is essential to help you write it and own it. Now write what the opposite of that fear would look like.

What small things can you do today to see the opposite of your fear? Do them. Find a way to stretch or work out.

What are your meals for today? Can you change them to be a little heathier?

What about your water intake for today? Get a mug or glass that is your favorite. Trust me those little moves help you to be more successful.

Who is in your circle that can help you today? Do you need to take a television or social media break? What is your win for today? Everyday there are wins. Focus on it.  It could be being off today to rest your body.

I hope these questions help to frame your day and week. Today is a new day. A new day full of new ways to make life that much better. Crush those Monday goals. You got this!