Happy Monday, everyone!

Mondays can be a time of dread for many people. Most of us are headed back to work after a relaxing weekend. Work can mean pressure, deadlines, difficult people, and stressful situations for many of us. Even those of us who enjoy our career may find ourselves longing for just one more day to relax and play or feeling a little frazzled by the time we leave work for home. Yes, Monday morning arrives and the count down until Friday afternoon begins.

Living for a future day or some future time is not living life to the fullest. It is up to each of us to make each day special. During the workweek we may need an extra boost to get our days off to a great start and have our evenings become a time for relaxation and recharging our energies .

Recently I have started “Pancake Monday’s” to give the start to my work week some pizzazz. Basic pancake recipes call for flour, milk, sugar, and oil. I use 30 calorie almond milk and stevia,  a zero calorie sweetener, so I can enjoy my pancakes for about the same amount of calories as my regular breakfasts. I have experimented with cutting back on flour and adding some hemp protein powder and flax-seed as well. If I ever perfect the blend I will let you know. I make sure I am dressed and have time to sit at the table, turn on some Cafe Jazz music, prepare some coffee in my French press, and feel just a little bit more relaxed as I go about getting ready for the day.

I highly recommend doing something special each day of the week that is reserved just for that day. Imagine being excited for Tuesday’s because that is the night you get to indulge in a piece of dark chocolate while you catch up on your favorite TV series or flip through your favorite magazine. What if Wednesdays became magical by listening to Calypso music while going through your morning routine and having a midweek glass of wine in the evening while reading something that inspires you. Making each day special does not have to mean big grand gestures all of the time. It does require knowing what gives us a little bit of an out of the ordinary sense pleasure  and fitting those things into our daily routines. Why save trying a new restaurant for the weekend? It is probably less crowded on a Monday evening. Have mini adventures without leaving town. Cook a new meal, listen to a different genre of music, try a new craft or board game.

Most importantly approach each day as a fresh opportunity to experience life, learn, and grow. Practice gratitude. Break away from the masses that believe life begins at 5:00 pm on Friday and ends when the alarm goes off on Monday morning. We can not escape the pressures and demands of our jobs and of life but we can be approach each day as a gift to be treasured, a challenge that will help us to grow to our fullest potential, and add a touch of enjoyment into our daily routines.

As, always, I would love to hear from you. Do you have things that you incorporate into your daily routines to make your day special?

Thanks for stopping by the blog.

Until next time,

Laura