No More Dreaded Mondays

$14.86

Do you hate Mondays?

If so, what’s keeping you at your current job? 

If you said a steady paycheck and the promise of a secure retirement, then you’re in for a big disappointment. In today’s volatile economy, there is nothing safe about punching the clock for a job you hate.

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NO MORE DREADED MONDAYS...

DOES THIS SOUND LIKE A DREAM THAT WILL NEVER COME TRUE?

Adam Smith, author of The Wealth of Nations, once wrote that a person who spends his life performing the same repetitive tasks “generally becomes as stupid and ignorant as it is possible for a human creature to become.” Wow! Now that’s not a pretty picture. Unfortunately, much of our work today consists of those boring, repetitive tasks.

But 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, 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 work—you 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?

Doesn’t every responsible person just bury their dreams and passions in exchange for getting a paycheck?

Absolutely not! 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 selves—a true fulfillment of our callings.

No More Mondays will show you that meaningful work really is within your grasp. And once you’ve opened the door and seen all the exciting career opportunities that await you—whether you decide to revolutionize your current job or launch a new career altogether—you’ll find you can’t go back to the old way of working.”

The only way to find true security is by following your calling -then finding or creating work that matches that calling and passion.

No More Mondays’s practical, inspirational advice speaks to people looking for guidance on how to launch a new career or business, those who want to stay in their current jobs and give the old 9-to-5 model a twenty-first-century makeover, and managers desperate to understand the way people want to work today. For all of them, Dan Miller’s message is loud and clear: If you’re one of those people who dread going to work on Mondays, do something about it!

Are you ready to…

  • Launch a new career or business
  • Stay in your current job and give the old 9 to 5 model a twenty-first-century makeover
  • Make the most of the life and career you have
  • Approach the inevitable changes in your workplace with anticipation
  • Recognize that your job is an important subset of your “calling”
  • Stop blaming others and thinking that circumstances are controlling you
  • See opportunities where other see obstacles
  • Realize that not relying on a paycheck may open the door to extraordinary income
  • Move past fear and lack of knowledge to act on your ideas

Thinking Way Outside the Box (and the bag)

There may be more solutions than what you first see…

Many years ago in a small Indian village, a farmer had the misfortune of owing a large sum of money to a village moneylender. The moneylender, who was old and ugly, fancied the farmer’s beautiful daughter. So he proposed a bargain. He said he would forgive the farmer’s debt if he could marry his daughter. Both the farmer and his daughter were horrified by the proposal. So the cunning money-lender suggested that they let providence decide the matter. He told them that he would put a black pebble and a white pebble into an empty money bag. Then the girl would have to reach in and pick one pebble from the bag.

  1. If she picked the black pebble, she would become his wife and her father’s debt would be forgiven.
  2. If she picked the white pebble she need not marry him and her father’s debt would still be forgiven.
  3. But if she refused to pick a pebble, her father would be thrown into jail until the debt was paid. 

     They were standing on a pebble strewn path in the farmer’s field. As they talked, the moneylender bent over to pick up two pebbles. As he picked them up, the sharp-eyed girl noticed that he had picked up two black pebbles and put them into the bag. He then asked the girl to pick a pebble from the bag. 

Now, imagine that you were standing in the field. What would you have done if you were the girl? If you had to advise her, what would you have told her?

Careful analysis would produce three possibilities:

  1. The girl could refuse to take a pebble –but her father would then be thrown in jail.
  2. The girl could pick a black pebble and sacrifice herself in order to save her father from his debt and imprisonment.
  3. The girl could pull out both black pebbles in the bag and expose the money-lender as a cheat but perhaps incite his immediate revenge.

Take a moment to think through this story.

I’ve used it with the hope that it will help you see alternate solutions beyond the obvious.

The girl’s dilemma cannot be solved with traditional logical thinking.

You may be in a similar situation. You may be in a job you hate – but the pay is great. You have two choices:

  1. You can stay in a job you hate.
  2. You can leave the job but will then give up the great pay.

Are these really all the options? What would you recommend to the girl to do?
Well, here is what she did ….

The girl put her hand into the moneybag and drew out a pebble. Without looking at it, she fumbled and let it fall onto the pebble-strewn path where it immediately became lost among all the other pebbles.

“Oh, how clumsy of me,” she said. “But never mind, if you look into the bag for the one that is left, you will be able to tell which pebble I picked.” Since the remaining pebble is black, it must be assumed that she had picked the white one. And since the money-lender dared not admit his dishonesty, the girl changed what seemed an impossible situation into an extremely advantageous one.

Now, how could you see more creative solutions for your situation? A couple of years ago I coached a very successful media executive. Because he was so respected he had been given increasing responsibilities over the years. He came to me with a dilemma.

His current position had squeezed out all his family and community commitments. He was working 70-80 hours weekly, but he had also become used to the $180,000 in annual pay.

He was considering whether to just accept his lot in life, or to quit his job, give up his salary and seek a more balanced life.

I proposed another choice. Since he was valued, why not approach his superiors with a new solution. Delegate much of his weekly work load to allow him to contribute in his areas of competence. They agreed readily – he was able to go back to a 40 hour work week; he began playing the cello professionally again, volunteering in his son’s school, playing in occasional golf tournaments and managing his church bookstore. Simply by asking for a less-than-obvious solution, he was able to move into a new season of true success.

MORAL OF THE STORY:

Most complex problems do have a solution.

It is only that we don’t attempt to think outside the obvious choices.

Check out this book – it’s a quick read sure to inspire you and push you to look for those “and” solutions that may not box you into just one way or the other.

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