Monday Mindset – Making a Plan

So sometimes, I think that we can jinx ourselves. What we put out in the universe comes true in grand fashion…

Two weeks ago, I wrote about ‘weathering the storms’. Setting ourselves up to have the support we need in rough times.

You might have noticed that last week there was no Monday Mindset. Well, that was because another storm hit.

On Friday, March 3rd, my Mom had a stroke. Thankfully it was mild, and we are expecting a pretty good recovery. The fact that it was mild and that she will recover is wonderful, but it still threw me into a bit of a spin.

?It has been a hard few months. Despite trying to weekly bolster and encourage better mindsets with all of you, I have not shared as I should have.?During this time I have been going through post-surgical Radiation Treatments for Breast Cancer. Again thankfully caught early and only at stage 1A and I had a lumpectomy earlier in the year. This has been followed by 4 weeks of radiation (finished this Wednesday!) just to make sure it’s all gone.

I am not complaining; all of this is just life, and life happens. We have been lucky enough to have good medical care, money to cover the costs, and great support from my husband, family and friends. Fortunately, my Mom was taken to the same medical campus as my radiation. So I could see her, go to radiation, and go back to her.?

Why am I writing about this now? Going back to being prepared with our mental health emergency preparedness, we also need to have some systems in place for our work and home life when ‘life’ happens.?

This reminds me of when I was teaching high school (yes, I was a high school teacher for many years, teaching entrepreneurship, business, and job readiness skills). I always had emergency sub plans. Those plans that could be pulled out at a moment's notice (often by email). Most of the time, it was less engaging than the regular curriculum, but a plan was in place.

What I didn't have last week was a plan in place for my backup. My routine is to usually sit down on Sunday and write my Monday Mindset unless I know there is a reason that I will not have time. I find it relaxing to write and like to spend some alone time working.

Often the topic is planned out, and I have an outline but have yet to start writing. For example, last week's topic was supposed to be about the Celebration of International Women's Day. But, after a full day at the hospital, I just didn't have it in me to come home and write. So, no Monday Mindset went out.

Of course, it isn't a big deal that I missed a deadline in the scheme of things. Yet, it did feel like a failure on my part. It made me think of what I can do to make sure that I can accomplish those things that I want to achieve at home or work when life happens. Having those 'emergency plans' ready to go.

For Monday Mindset, I should do what Steve has been after me to do for some time: batch write the articles. The other idea is to have a few I like ready to go at short notice, like those 'emergency sub plans' I always had when teaching.

It has also made me stop and think about what else I can prepare for with work, business, or home to take the pressure off when life happens. Because we know that it will.?

I am always a bit of a Pollyanna, so I usually don't think bad things will happen, and as a rule, they don't. But having plans in place doesn't mean I need to dwell on what can happen. Instead, it is taking time when I am in a good place to think about what is important and what I might need or want during those unexpected times.

This past week, I have been thinking about what I want to have prepared or have easy access to both for work and at home. For each of us, our plans will be different. What is important is to take some time and think about what you will need when life happens. What can we do to make sure the business that needs to get done gets done and that we can have some peace of mind when we have to attend to life.

Would love to hear about the plans that you have in place.