Don't ever say "You're Smart"

Ashley Merryman: On Parenting from PopTech on Vimeo.

A case of the Mondays

A secretary at my work sends out emails she titles "Monday Motivators". Normally, I just grind my teeth, ignore her notes, keep calm and carry on. But not today. Today, she emailed out this gem (excerpted, with my notes inline):


Shifting Gears
How do you really start your Monday morning?


First, it starts (like all mornings) with waking up and the thoughts that are swirling your head when you first arise. Your thoughts can be, "I can't wait to get to work today and tackle my projects". Or, "I wish I could just stay home today". The idea is that we are forming our attitude about our day as soon as we awake. Where does your thinking go from there?
From there, honestly, my thinking goes to bludgeoning the sender of this with a binder. But let's fight that urge and read on.


Here are some tips that I hope will help you especially in December to jump start your Mondays:

1. Just think, "Oh boy, it's Monday - one day closer to the weekend!" I assume you were supposed to receive a lobotomy before this step; she must have just omitted that for brevity's sake. A downside is that after deteriorating your brain enough to think this thought, you might lose your job.... and defeat the very next tip!
   
2. Tell yourself, "I love my job and I am thankful I have a place to go where many people are home because they don't have a job" I, personally, do not think of my work as "a place to go" as much as "a place to get paid". But obviously, for you it's more of an outing! This is starting to make sense.
   
3. It's great to get out of the house and be around others who can stimulate your thinking and growth. It is nice to get out of the house. Where should we go to get the rest though?
   
4. Underneath it all, we all feel good after we have put in a good day's work. Where do you work, a farm in the Dutch Country?
5. Who knows who may come into your life today that will impact your future? That is exactly what people are afraid of, actually, I think.
   
6. Eagerly get out of bed and don't lay around an extra 15 minutes. Get your body moving. That is one of the best ways to get the flow of blood going and feel more energetic. And then make sure you eat a decent breakfast. And eat more vegetables.
7. Put on some music while you get dressed to perk you up. (Don't put on the news; it's usually depressing). If you find the normal morning news depressing, I think I have some idea of why you have hard time coming in for work at a DEFENSE CONTRACTOR'S OFFICE.
8. Better yet, play holiday music while you dress. What a great idea, because you totally don't hear enough holiday music when you get out of your house this time of year. Try this selection!
   
9. Think about the wonderful holiday activities you will be doing and the time you will be spending with friends and family. At work?!
   
10. Consider ways to make a difference in the life of those who are less fortunate than you. I think it's nice and subtle how this follows the previous tip. Of course, after thinking of your friends and family, your thoughts will turn to how you would prefer to spend your time with homeless people rather than see your drunk uncle Sal one more time. Nice.
    
11. Post an inspirational or motivational quote at home or at work that you can focus on throughout the day. Great idea. May I suggest this one?
    
12. Treat yourself to something special today. Awesome; I'm on my way to unplug your ethernet cable.

Next Monday is going to be a cinch.

Baby Geekstones

5 months: discovered Newtonian Physics (by dropping object from high chair).
10 months: performed force/reaction experiment using cat's tail and the rest of cat.  A highly effective demonstration.
1 year and 2 months: made his very first standing wave! (with a slinky)
1 year and 3 months: examined properties of rigid versus flexible connectors and the best point at which to apply force in order to get maximum force vector in the right direction.  Push toys are far superior to pull toys.