Monday is DrivenWoman’s favourite day of the week! No, we don’t want to sound cheesy or pretentious, we are serious about this. Why? Because we have so many important things to do and we want to change the world. Changing the world is pretty exciting don’t you think!

Monday is an important day as it sets the direction for the rest of the week. However, we don’t believe in ruining your whole week just because Monday went wrong. (If you let that happen you are using one of the most colossal excuses and wasting 6 perfectly good days of your life!) You can change the direction of your week, or life, when ever you want.

We wanted to share some of the themes we find important for energising ourselves to get most out of our week.

1) Start with a positive thought

Let the day start with your approval. Remind yourself what is important and what you want to achieve this week. Do this before getting out of bed or in the shower. If negative thoughts are creeping in, try adjusting your thoughts from ‘your problems’ to ‘your challenges with possible positive outcomes’. If your inner critic really has the best of you try reducing negative self-talk with these 9 tips by Jancee Dunn.

2) Create positive physical energy

Nothing beats early morning exercise as the source for the right kind of positive, ‘let’s do it’ -energy. Ours is running, but you should choose what ever works for you. We listen to Nightwish and Lauryn Hill, oh yes! Check out RockMyRun for more inspiring playlists.

3) Eat a positive breakfast

If you stuff yourself with white wheat and jam every morning you have only yourself to blame feeling bloated and sluggish couple of hours later (and for the rest of your life). You’ve heard this before, but you should really start your day with fruit, whole-grains, and some healthy protein such as organic poached eggs. Our breakfast also includes added vitamins or Spirulina, a natural algae loaded with antioxidants and nutrients such as beta carotene and iron. Jennifer’s breakfast secret is to start the day with warm lemon or lime water to cleanse and to set her up for a healthy start.

4) Choose to feel positive

How we feel in the morning when we leave the house is our personal choice. You can either decide to embrace the week and put on a happy face and enjoy the challenges ahead, or you can let the weight of the world drag you down already on Monday morning. Yes, if the taxi driven doesn’t know the way and tries to overcharge you, is your personal choice if you choose to ruin your whole day because he put you on a bad mood. See Jennifer’s video on how she tackless the occasional morning sadness.

5) Spend time with positive people

During the week you will run into three kinds of people: cheerleaders, indifferent and toxic-people. ‘Cheerleaders’ will feed you with positive energy and keep you moving forward. They are genuinely interested in who you are and help you to be ‘in your element’. They usually stand on their own feet independently, and don’t pour their own problems all over you. Try to spend as much of your time as possible with the ‘Cheerleaders’. ‘Indifferent’ people don’t really care what you do, or they simply don’t know you well enough. ‘Toxic-people‘ are the ones you want to avoid like plague! They will suck your energy, they will belittle you to make sure you feel you can’t accomplish anything. They want to keep you small and in their control. If you can’t limit time with them, try to shield yourself from their influence.

6) Create a positive environment

Look at your physical environment. Is your house nice and clean? Is your office neat and orderly? It is surprising how cluttered space can slow you down. Most people collect too much stuff, stuff that they don’t really need. Cluttered environment and unfinished jobs zap energy and use your bandwidth even when you are not in the house. Check Zen Habit’s tips for ‘Decluttering your life. Small little things can quickly create a positive mindset and reminder of the fabulous things you are about to do this week: put fresh flowers in a vase, light a smelly candle in the bathroom or get new bright tea cups to remind yourself about positivity.

7) End Monday with a positive conclusion 

It doesn’t matter how your Monday actually turns out – good, bad or excellent – if you decide to conclude it with a positive note. What have you learned? How have you contributed? What can you be grateful for?

Have a great week!

~ Jennifer & Miisa