How to own Mondays

Good morning LinkedIN - Happy Monday!

I used to hate Mondays...They meant it was the end of the weekend (a period I thoroughly enjoyed) and the return to the "salt mines". For years, I slaved through Mondays, usually in a grumpy, foggy, and unproductive mood.

Eventually, I worked with an amazing business coach specifically on optimizing productivity, and it made a huge difference.

One of the first things we tackled was my "Monday blues". I knew I had a HUGE Limiting belief related to Monday and I needed her help to break through.

What is a "Limiting Belief" you might ask?

A limiting belief is a thought or state of mind that you believe to be true and prevents you from achieving your full potential. It's like a self-imposed barrier that holds you back from pursuing your goals and dreams. It's a self-imposed prison of sorts, we all have them. They can be formed in childhood, or later, either way - you don't want them.

That work with my coach was so helpful, that I now incorporate it into my coaching practice, and work regularly. I'm amazed at how often limiting beliefs restrain leaders from achieving their highest potential.

I tackled my limiting belief about "Mondays" something like this...

1. I IDENTIFIED MY LIMITING BELIEF Mine was that "Mondays" were a chore, a pill, and I hated them.

Then, I did some real honest Self-reflection: I dug deep and realized the belief stemmed from all the crap jobs I had to do, very young, to keep the bills paid, and the lights on. Yes, back when I had to take two buses and a metro to get to a job on an early Monday morning, it wasn't pleasant...

#2. I CHALLENGED MY ASSUMPTIONS - Were ALL Mondays supposed to be dreadful, and a chore to hate living through? Right away, I realized they did not have to be.

#3. I CHALLENGED AND REPLACED MY NEGATIVE THOUGHT ABOUT MONDAYS

By cognitively reframing, or "rotating the problem I REPLACED negative thoughts with positive affirmations. For example "Mondays are filled with opportunities to have a great day"

4. I ENGAGED IN SOME PROACTIVE EVIDENCE-BASED THINKING

I gathered evidence that contradicts my limiting belief. When you do this, you remind yourself of your REAL reality - In my case, I started thinking and saying "Hey, I am my boss, Mondays can be the way I want them to be, and not dictated by anyone else"

This led to me doing some intentional work to bring about #productivechange and design my future Mondays to be the way I WANT Them to be

I invite you to try this approach - YES, YOU CAN, I just know it!

If you have limiting beliefs, getting in the way of your days going the way you want or need them to, or you find yourself stuck in a rut that is slowly but surely killing you. Let's talk about it! Send me a message on LinkedIn or visit my website at monykaberrocosa.com.

#lifebalance #workhacks #leadershiphacks #workbydesign #businesscoaching #mondaymotivation #lifebydesign #knowbetterdobetter