The Cure For the Sunday Scares
I had a fantastic weekend! Good food, good travel, good activities with the kids, and (mostly) good rest. Last night, as I was preparing for a 3AM wake-up to fly to Houston, I couldn't help but think about how excited I was for my week. Not because it's going to be fun (it won't be), but because it matters. I have the opportunity to serve my client for the next four days, including some difficult projects and challenging meetings. Fun isn't a word I'd use to describe it, but meaningful is. I usually feel that excited anticipation on Sunday nights, and it's something I love most about my life.
What about you? How do you feel on Sunday nights? Do you get the Sunday Scaries? You know exactly what I'm talking about. Maybe your chest tightens up, you yearn for more weekend time, or you start dreading what's to come. Statistics show that 4PM on Sundays is the most depressing hour of the week. It makes sense. We've spent the last 48 hours relaxing, spending time with people we love, possibly traveling, and perhaps engaging in fun hobbies. Then, reality sets in. We realize we'll be in bed in a few hours, then wake up to five days of doing something we probably don't want to do. Ouch!
There is a cure for the Sunday Scaries, though. Want to know what it is? It's not an answer so much as a question. As you sit in your Sunday Scaries, what would the next day or next week need to look like for you not to feel that way? Maybe it's adding something. Maybe it's subtracting something. Maybe it's altering something.
If your answer is, "I'd rather be sitting by the pool with a margarita," you're thinking too short-sighted. Don't get me wrong, I'll take a margarita by the pool any day! But that's not life. That's a treat. Yes, treat yourself. Yes, find time to do cool things.
Through the lens of living a productive life where you serve others and provide financially for your family, what would tomorrow need to look like to not feel the Sunday Scaries? Many of you already know the answer. However, there's a cost.....and the cost can feel steep. It may include one or more of the following:
Less security
Less income
Less comfort
Less status
Less wants
Less wealth
Less predictability
Pursuing a different sort of life may require the loss of something you hold dear. However, it's also important to recognize what you'll gain:
Meaning
Fulfillment
Purpose
Impact
Contentment
Adventure
On the surface, the upside of the latter doesn't seem nearly as weighty as the downside of the former. But let me put it this way. I've seen countless people pursue money and comfort, only to turn away from it. On the flip side, I've never seen someone pursue meaning and then decide it's not for them.
I encourage you to reflect on your Sunday Scaries, and ask yourself what the cure is. Believe me, there is one!