Willie the Parrot
Meet Willie.
Willie lives in Roaring Creek, in the Cayo District of Belize.
Willie is a parrot, and Willie has a bad attitude when it comes to hands!
Place your hands behind your back, and you can put your face right up to Willie’s face with no problem. He will actually rub his head against your head, as long as he can’t see your hands.
Do NOT let him see your hands. Keep them behind your back.
Because...if Willie sees your hands, Willie FREAKS OUT.
Show your hands, and suddenly, your everyday, friendly, neighborhood parrot starts screaming at you. Willie will peck you, bite you, flap his wings hysterically, and attack you if he sees your hands.
Willie hates hands.
It’s impossible to know why, because, well, Willie is a parrot.
People treat Monday like Willie treats hands...people don’t like Monday. It’s impossible to know why, because, well, people have been hating Mondays forever.
Most other days of the week are fine. There’s Tuesday, a perfectly cool day. Then, Wednesday is such a groovy day that it has its own nickname, “Hump Day”. Thursday comes along, and men, women, and children get downright giddy. Why? Because it comes just before Friday.
Glorious Friday. A day with a grooviness quotient eclipsing Wednesday. We know this because the grooviest things in life don’t just have nicknames, they have acronyms...like TGIF. Regardless of religious beliefs, background, or affiliation, we all “THANK GOD IT’S FRIDAY”! And, of course, Saturday and Sunday are at the top of the menu. A Super-Sized, combo day we simply call “The Weekend”. We work for it. Bask in its sunshine. Party in its wee hours. Worship on its Day of Rest.
If we could, we would rub our heads against “The Weekend”. What’s not to love about “The Weekend”?!?! “The Weekend” is lovely.
But do NOT mention Monday. Because you mention Monday, and people FREAK OUT.
Fear grips. Moods change. Outlooks dim. Anxiety climbs. It’s so bad that if another day of the week is going poorly, people say they “have a case of the Mondays”. Monday is like a disease. No, really. It is a killer. Research tells us people are more likely to have a heart attack on Monday morning than at any other time. Yikes! No wonder people hate it.
“Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude.” -Zig Ziglar
But I’d like to challenge you to love, Love, LOVE Monday! Monday is essential. Monday is life-giving. It is a new beginning. A fresh approach. A sparkling horizon. A budding flower. The Launch Pad of every week. Monday abounds in opportunity. Monday is like springtime. It wakes up with no pretense to usher in a Season of Change.
We study, attend seminars, training classes, and work our butts off in order to be as smart as possible in our chosen field. However, upon reviewing the research again, only 20% of success is attributable to our aptitude, while 80% is due to our attitude. As a result, we need to start Monday with an attitude that runs counter to the culture. An attitude of excitement, not dread. An attitude of fun, not boredom. An attitude of gratefulness, not pending doom. An attitude of anticipation, not hesitation. Do you want to stand out to your clients, boss, in the classroom, the office, or the boardroom? Roll in on Monday with an ‘I’m gonna rock the world’ attitude!
“Rejoice always.” -Apostle Paul
Choosing joy on Monday, the greatest day of the week, will allow you to catapult into each week like Charlie walking into (another Willy’s) Chocolate Factory.
You will cruise into Monday wide-eyed, whimsical, and ready for adventure.
My bird-buddy, Willie, pecks, screams, and attacks hands as if they were his enemy. And he misses out on a lot of love that folks would like to show him.
Monday has a lot of love to show if only we embrace it.
No matter what you are facing in the coming weeks, fall in love with Monday!
Because changing a day can change your week. Changing your weeks will change your months.
And before you know it, you’ve changed your life.