No More Mondays

Introduction Have you ever said "Thank God it's Monday"? Why is that such an unbelievable statement? Why does "Thank God it'sFriday" just roll off your tongue? Why is TGIF an instantly recognizable acronym for the relief we feel at the end of a workweek, knowing we can spend the weekend doing something enjoyable? Why do we thank God for saving us from the one thing in which we invest up to 50 percent of our waking hours? If we dread the work we are doing, is it an honorable use of our time? Do you really think it's possible to fulfill your purpose if you're doing work that is not meaningful and fulfilling? Maybe you're one of the many who have gotten caught up in thinking work is just something you do to support your weekends. Work is that necessary evil in our lives, a means to an end, or just a curse from God. You probably take your role of providing for yourself and those depending on you seriously. But you don't expect to enjoy your workyou just do what has to be done. Only now you're seeing that even loyalty and dependability bring no guarantees. Lately you've seen coworkers who have been let go after years of faithful service. Perhaps your entire industry has been shaken by outsourcing or changing technology. Maybe you're tired of the long commute and being tied to your desk when you know you could make your own hours and still be productive. You may have ideas stirring that you think could create new income and time freedom. But here comes another Monday. Maybe feeling trapped is just the reality of the way things are. Doesn't everyone dread Mondays? Don't we put our truecallingon the shelf when we leave for work on Monday morning? Does our work even matter in the final evaluation of a life well lived? Don't all responsible people just bury their dreams and passions in exchange for getting a paycheck? Absolutely not! Let me assure you that it doesn't need to be this way at all. All of us, no matter how old we are or what kind of work we're doing, can learn to bring the same excitement to our jobs that we bring to whatever we love to do on our days off. I believe that each one of us can pursue work that is a reflection of our best selvesa true fulfillment of our callings. What we do on Mondays is a more visible expression of our applied faith than how we spend fifty-eight minutes on Sunday morning. For many of you,No More Mondayswill present a process of waking up the dreams, passions, and visions you had as a child. Have you ever met an unimaginative five year old? Probably not. And when you were five, you probably had a dream. Maybe in the still of the night you thought you heard God speaking to you calling you to a certain type of life and a special kind of work. So what happened? Well, life happened. Along the way, in our desire to be responsible, practical, and realistic adults, too many of us wildly imaginative kids lost touch with our creative abilities and gave up a commitment to translating our dreams into enjoyable and fulfilling work. But it doesn't need to be that way. All of us, no matter how old we are or what kind of work we're doing, can learn to bring that authentic, childlike creativity to our work. In fact, the moment you express a desire for something more than repetitive, meaningless work, something more than simply punching the clock, the moment you realize that meaningful, purposeful, and profitable work reallyisa possibility, you've already taken an important step toward reawakening the dreams and passions you haven't had in yearsor might never have had at all. All of a sudden, complacency and "comfortable miseryMiller, Dan is the author of 'No More Mondays', published 2008 under ISBN 9781400073863 and ISBN 1400073863.