Want to try a perspective shift for the new year? Let’s chat 🙂
There’s something that I’ve been mentally doing since many months now and it’s really helped shift the way I look at things. I started doing this quietly a long time ago just as a “why not?” and then somewhere along the way it naturally became a part everyday life.
Let me get to the point, heh. Once upon a time I had a fleeting thought to start my week, every week, over the weekend. (That’s a lot of ‘weeks’ in there and that’s a very confusing statement, I’m aware)
Here’s what I mean. One of the bigger realities of our times is that we’ve designed major portions of our lives entirely around limited, monopolising aspects. One of those monopolising aspects is our career, our work life. We plan, schedule, organize nearly everything in our lives around this: our jobs.
And because we become conditioned to believe that our jobs are why we exist, we start our weeks, each week, with a Monday. A workday.
Everything begins with our 9 am. In our offices. At our work desks. In a commissioned environment.
And when the entire rest of the week is born out of that one-dimensional aspect of our lives – our job – how much can it do for our *whole being* anyway.
All our dreams, personal plans, things we would ideally love to do, all get slotted for once we get done with work.
Sometime ago, I decided to start my week with my weekend. Kind of a paradox because a weekend literally means the end of the week, but no worries, Bon Jovi said it’s my life it’s now or never (thank you very much at this point for appreciating substandard humor #grateful)
So each Friday afternoon, I started to visualize my week as about to begin. Not a time to ‘wrap up things’, ‘try to unwind from the week’, ‘catch up on sleep’. No behavior that meant *recuperating* from the days I’d just spent.
My beginning of the week, each Friday evening, meant making a fresh beginning. Starting with a freshly cleaned home, planning what foods I’d put into my body, what things I’d be personally doing to take care of myself. Focusing on family, who I’d call to connect with, things I’d do with Nabeel, any habits I wanted to build.
My work stopped being the beginning of my week or the beginning of my life or the roadblock to all my plans. It only happened to come along once I’d started and spent some wholesome days invested in just myself.
Instead of starting my week replying to an email for a brand campaign (or talking to your boss, in most people’s case), I started it with a chat with my husband or a long conversation with my best friend on WhatsApp.
Instead of beginning my week at a desk, I started it with breakfast at a neighborhood cafe.
Instead of grabbing whatever I could find for lunch on Monday, we planned the meals we’d nourish ourselves with.
Instead of parking my workouts to start as I went back to work (and then failing because too many things on your plate), I started with going for a walk on a Saturday so it was already something that was a part of me.
Instead of sleeping all through my weekend to wear off the exhaustion of the week, I woke up early on a Sunday to enjoy the day fully (and therefore automatically rested well on weekdays).
Instead of scrambling to find time at the end of my day for something I loved (reading, painting, pottery making, whatever rocks your boat), I started my week with that thing I wanted to do and it got scheduled first.
Everything else related to work, came once I had started my week with all the right things. Things that actually really mattered.
I do love what I do and feel so grateful for it. But my job is a part of who I am, it’s not who I am. It makes sense to give other things in my life, just as much of my energy. If I start my life on Mondays at my office desk, I come to my family, my hobbies, my passions and my own self….tired, exhausted, half spent.
And then probably spend even my personal days over the weekend, as a shadow of my week.
It’s a simple perspective shift. To start your week with your weekend. To do all the things that make you happy and spirited and bright and then also add on work later as you move along. Because work does make your life fuller, but then again, it doesn’t make it *all*.
See you next time 🙂
That is a very interesting shift but one that oughts to be tried out to comment on. However if it has worked for you, it might for others as well. I do agree with you on the point that once we have our own life and selves sorted and prioritized (not revolving around our jobs) we can have a fuller and happier life! Not that i’ve managed to do it yet, but hopefully! More power to you and your wisdom. Much love !
Never ever thought like that 🙂
You are amazing..
I also have a positive approach to EVERYTHING in my life but not to this extent haha..
Thankyou for sharing this with us.. much love <3
Love it. Such a unique idea and valuable perspective shift. You need to write a book soon, no jokes!
Never thought of it like that. Such a nice idea to stay motivated everyday❤️
Very interested in a discussion about concept of career please.
Definitely the best way to stay positive! Priorities matter so so much..thanks for sharing this 🙂
This sounds cool ! I LL try this ! Thanks for being the positive Ray to life ❤️
Love how positive and balanced you are ! Really need a positive outlook transformation and will try using this as a starting point :)thank you for the inspiration !
This is quite interesting really. A different approach to life. I love the way you think! Way to go. Oh and I loved the last part – that’s my kind of humour 😀
Quite an interesting perspective! Would love to hear your thoughts on career and the drive to pursue it in a monotonous manner 😊
Very interesting! Got me really thinking. I love questioning “routine” and “traditional approaches” so thanks for providing this brain-food 😁. Will give it a try. You always add so much to my mental growth, love and prayers for you dil se.
Finally someone said it. Career isn’t Life, its a part of life. The perspective shift makes sense. I hate Mondays not cz i hate my job but cz I know i’ll be too busy to do everything else that i love. Re-prioritizing what time to give to each aspect is so important to stay happy and enjoy everything. thankyou for sharing ur point of view! much love <3
This is absolutely best piece of advice heard so far when you read new year’s plans and blogs: It makes sense to give them my best energy, my best time and my best ME when I attempt them. Thanks once again. You nailed it.
Never looked at it that way! This is so eye-opening – focus on yourself first, so you can be fresh and ready for other commitments as the week progresses. You’re right – if we start our weeks on Monday, we don’t leave ourselves enough time and energy to focus on our own personal projects and goals once the week is done. I find I’m usually sleeping in and recovering over the weekend, which come to think of it, is time wasted! I’m excited to give this a try! Thank you so much for sharing such an innovative perspective change!
I read this post yesterday and spent all of today putting it into action and I gotta say – it genuinely feels like it’s working. Also, would LOVE to hear your non conformist views on careers. Please share soon ♥️
I LOVE THIS!!!! So simplistic but oh so effective!!
Woww this is game changing. Absolutely love it
I love this! Always do appreciate your take on everything, because you make it so your own. So that you’re the one in control of the week, and not that other way around. I’ve learned much from you, Shehzeen. I hope to get the courage to implement some things in my life as well. You’re all about that unapologetic self-love(as it should be), and I think a lot of people, including myself, are now coming into this concept and still navigating our way around the tools to really construct our days around how we feel best, not just let things be done the way they have been done because that’s the norm. It isn’t easy because it’s not what everyone else is doing, going against the tune of the world almost. But thank you for sharing your experiences with us so thoughtfully. And your lame jokes are endearing and actually not that lame, at least I think so!
Such an attention-grabbing and paramount way of stay positive and motivated. I too have many ideas and tactics to handle the life efficiently if you are interested to know about those please have a look on it. http://spicesinlife.com/life-philosophy/ 😋😊
I love you for this <3 and many other things im learning from u 😛