Affirmations that will totally kickstart your Monday

It’s Monday morning. Your alarm is going off, and you can’t remember why you picked that strumming mandolin sound. Did you think it was cheery when you set your phone to go off at 6am? It’s not cheery. It sounds like woe and you cannot possibly imagine getting out of bed without a piece of chocolate as your reward, breakfast be damned.

Maybe your Monday morning looks different than mine, but this is generally how I feel when it’s time to start another work week. It doesn’t matter how much you love your job, or your awesome coworkers, or the even awesome-er paycheck that is the result of all your hard work. Sometimes, the misery of a Monday just can’t be defeated. Even if you’re a cheerful, early riser, who wakes with the sun and rolls out of bed directly into a yoga pose (I know people like this and I consider them to be the human equivalent to a unicorn), the prospect of another long work week ahead, combined with the jarring feeling of being ripped from the weekend when every day was lazy and full of promise, can be too much to bear.

So whether you’re sitting down at your desk or standing up behind your espresso bar or cash register; tapping away at your computer or teaching your heart out at the whiteboard — whatever your occupation, these are some affirmations to hold close as you get ready for the long Monday ahead.

You are cute. No, listen, seriously, you are so cute. Your new lipstick looks fly. Your hair is cute in that messy bun. Everyone likes your pants. Find the cutest thing about yourself today and stick to it, because the truth is everyone is cuter than they think they are, especially on a Monday. Hold to your cuteness and feel the empowerment sweep over you. Monday morning dreary meetings are so much easier to get through when you are fully aware of your own cute factor.

Dedication works wonders. I’ve been in jobs before that I knew were dead-end roads. They were temporary, just for survival purposes, and that thought depressed me the most come Monday. But the truth is, no matter what job you’re at for the moment, it’s important. Showing up and doing the work with dedication taught me to be dedicated to whatever job I do, and the habits I forged at those dead-end jobs have enabled me to succeed as I go forward. Being at work on a Monday morning is part of your dedication to succeed, and you’re doing awesome.

Everyone needs that extra coffee this morning — it’s not just you. Look around you when you’re visiting the break room coffee pot for the fifth time. You will find you are not alone in this need for caffeination. Although you might feel like you should be well rested and ready to go, don’t get down on yourself if you’re not. The weekend can leave us exhausted sometimes, because it’s often the one time you have to catch up on errands and appointments and all the other little stuff in life. There’s no shame in that extra cup of joe (or two, or three).

Providing for yourself is boss. Being a woman (or a dude!) who’s working at that grind in order to provide for your life is an awesome thing in and of itself. You’re living life on your own terms, and making that possible by punching the time clock. It doesn’t matter what your job is, cause the fact that you have one is wonderful and it’s an accomplishment all on its own.

You don’t know what this week may hold. There’s a unique set of challenges to every week. It may be difficult to fight through the mundane and feel like you’re really getting somewhere that makes it worth it, but you don’t know the good this week might bring, either. Maybe it holds a raise, or a compliment from a coworker on your work, or a good word from your boss about your latest project. There’s a silver lining waiting for you out there, and you never know — it might even begin today.

Don’t worry — the weekend’s never cancelled. When all other aphorisms have failed, just keep in mind that even if this seems destined to be the official worst week ever, the weekend will come again. You will have two blissfully work-free days in which you can veg on Netflix, smell the clean scent of freshly laundered clothes, leisurely grocery shop, and maybe even have some fun with friends too. This week, too, shall pass.