Updates from Leah Negrin

Monday Monster, part IV (and yes I had to double check the roman numerals, maybe I missed that lesson in elementary school?🤷) I've had trouble in the past being consistent with posting things, or sharing what I'm going through so I am proud of myself that I have posted 4 weeks in a row! It might not seem like much to others but for me, powerhouse moment! 💪

This weekend was  seriously incredible, it was filled with amazing, uplifting, empowering people that were so filled with love and support it just blanketed me in peace. Not only did I get to meet fabulous new friends but I got to hear from some seriously successful entrepreneurs! (and that's a word that makes me grateful for spell check!👏)

So related to all of that, I had heard the song, The Greatest Show from The Greatest Showman soundtrack in a spin class recently and I was like, 'this is a fabulous song, push-pull-push-pull, right-left-right-left-I've got this!!' (anyone who has taken a spin class knows what I'm talking about here)  🚴 I honestly didn't see the movie because of the animal cruelty 🐘 aspect of the circus industry these days but this weekend the conference I was at had a bit of a theme and this song fit right in. If you read the lyrics below you can see that it highlights  freedom, dreaming, pushing forward and knowing nothing can stop you! This is only part of the song but if you watch this clip from where they perform it in the movie (and yes there are some non-English subtitles in there 🤷) it is mesmerizing and inspiring! 

The point of watching this clip basically shows what the movie was about; a place where people were allowed to be accepted, to be who they were without the judgement of outside society. (or at least that's what I took from it!) Sometimes we can feel like we don't quite belong where we are or wonder why we think so differently than others or just why do we feel so weird?! This jam basically says, 'go for your life-however you want it to be, dream big, live big and enjoy it!' There is a home for everyone, just find your tribe!! ❤️‍❤️ (I'm so blessed to have found mine, even if we're separated by many states now #dreamteam)

"Don't fight it, it's coming for you, running at ya

It's only this moment, don't care what comes after
Your fever dream, can't you see it getting closer
Just surrender 'cause you feel the feeling taking over
It's fire, it's freedom, it's flooding open
It's a preacher in the pulpit and you'll find devotion
There's something breaking at the brick of every wall that's holding all that you know,
So tell me do you wanna go?

Where it's covered in all the colored lights
Where the runaways are running the night
Impossible comes true, it's taking over you
Oh, this is the greatest show
We light it up, we won't come down
And the sun can't stop us now
Watching it come true, it's taking over you
Oh, this is the greatest show
Don't fight it, it's coming for you, running at ya
It's only this moment, don't care what comes after
It's blinding outside and I think that you know
Just surrender 'cause you're calling and you wanna go"

What is one thing you do to beat the Monday Monster?! 👻 ❤️‍❤️‍👻

It's odd, usually I have a good Sunday, and don't really mind the upcoming Monday. I wouldn't say I jump up and down with excitement for work the next day but I don't dread it either. I've had many jobs that in fact I did dread, I would get that deep anxious feeling in the pit of my stomach and just a level of darkness that would make it hard to see the light. So when my Sunday was darker yesterday than normal I was not entirely looking forward to today, Monday.

The day started a bit rough, I couldn't seem to pick up out of the darkness, no matter with what oils, foods, books or conversations I was having with friends. But finally, in the afternoon after I woke up from my 20 minute nap I had a wonderful message from one of my oily friends, basically showing that she cared and helping me think through some of the business blocks I was having. 

When I feel these blocks it tends to resonate with my personal life as well, so it all feels intertwined. Today I had to decide; do I wallow or do I get up and  make things happen for myself? 

I chose not to wallow! And to pick myself up and think about it all like this, it might be a hard time right now , things might not be perfect, maybe business or my personal life aren't where I thought they would be but bottom line, I'm working on it. I'm moving forward, focusing on my personal development and making sure that I don't fall back down, but instead keep rising up. 

What is one thing you do to beat the Monday Monster?! 👻 ❤️‍❤️‍👻

Welcome to the second edition of the Monday Monster! I knew once I wrote my first Monday Monster blog post I would want to write this every week. Some days really are easier than others but Mondays just seem to be the hardest for many of us! This Monday was easier than the last, which I felt was a great improvement! It's still darker than I'd like it to be but I'm working on not letting the overcast, colder weather get me down! I started the morning with my morning meditation and visualization, making my tea, oiling up, and journaling. This little morning routine truly does help set up the day to be a positive one! 

I was also listening to a wonderful full moon meditation that was focused on goals for this quarter, which had aired live last night but I felt I needed to re-listen to it all to really put forth my effort into action oriented goals. 

I am the godness of nature 

What is one thing you do to beat the Monday Monster?! 👻 ❤️‍❤️‍👻

Many of us, even those that really like their job have a tough time on Mondays. I was initially astounded to learn that the risk of heart attacks are 11% higher on Mondays than other days of the week, although after careful consideration this did make sense.  As many of us know heart attacks are linked to stress; so that over a long period of time stressing about things like your boss that you don't like, your co-workers that annoy you to no end, or just how much email you have sitting in your inbox from over the weekend, can make a large impact on our health. I'm not saying that we can all simply have three day weekends (which would then turn Tuesdays into Mondays anyway 😜) but maybe we can all try to beat the Monday Monster 👺 together! 

I was sitting in my beautiful new home office/sun room and finding myself losing the battle with my Monday Monster and then a song came on, Meghan Trainor's No Excuses, and I realized I couldn't allow that to happen! I couldn't let Monday be the excuse for not feeling so happy or wallowing in the darkness that can sometimes sneak up on me. So I slapped on a cute outfit, oiled up, grabbed my computer and headed out to work outside at a bar. (yes a bar that has wifi and other people on computers, something I'm finding very common in Wicker Park!) 

We don't always know what life holds for us but we can do our best to find the little things in life that bring you joy, and then do more of those!! ❤️‍❤️

Top four things to bring me happiness on a Monday

What is one thing you do to beat the Monday Monster?! 👻 ❤️‍❤️‍👻