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The world has cultivated a TGIF (Thank God It’s Friday) culture, a lifestyle infamously termed ‘living for the weekend’. For most people, Friday seems to mark the end of one life (the life necessary to pay the bills and other expenses) and the beginning of a more enjoyable life. It is the last day of the week, and arguably most people’s favorite day for a plausible and obvious reason; it marks the beginning of the weekend.
I personally love the weekend, it is great! You get to unwind, spend substantial time with family and friends, catch up on sleep, go out on dates, clean the house and cars, meal prep, congregate with other believers, etc. All these activities are necessary components of our existence and are worthy of the commitment we allocate to them. We rightfully celebrate Friday because it ushers us into the days of the weekend which afford us the time to indulge in the aforementioned life activities.
But what should we make of the remaining days of the week? Should we be withdrawn from the excitement of life with boredom as we drag ourselves to the very jobs some of us worked so hard training for and went through rigorous interviews to acquire? Should our lives remain on hold 5 out of 7 days each week as we await another opportunity to thank God for 1 or just a few of the 7 days He created in His divine wisdom? God made each day as part of His divine plan. Therefore, every day is an opportunity for us to enjoy His goodness and live in His divine plan and purpose for our lives. With a purpose-driven mindset, we can equally celebrate and look forward to every day of the week, even Monday.
Monday is noticeably the least favorite day of the week for most adults. At some point in your work-life or perhaps in college, you have probably engaged in or overhead a conversation along these lines: “Good morning Ronnie, how did the weekend go?” / “I don’t know how, but it’s gone. I can’t believe it’s already Monday.” If you browse through your Facebook feeds, Whatsapp status and Tweets on Monday morning, you’ll notice the sudden spin of negative attitude vibrating across the various social media.
You’d think that most folks are well-rested from the previous week’s workload and ready to conquer the world on Monday, but the exact opposite scenario seems to be the reality. Not long ago, I heard of the term, ‘The Mondays’, defined by urban dictionary as “ a day generally created for the purpose of making people wish they were someone else. The day you realize you have four days of work ahead of you and that they won’t be going fast at all. Symptoms generally include feeling like crap, wishing you were dead, or not showing up for work in general.”
One set of findings was particularly disturbing: until recently, studies consistently showed that up to 20% more heart attacks occur on Monday that any other day. What else is happening on Monday? According to a LinkedIn study in 2016 and a more recent study reported by Forbes in 2019, more than half of U.S. workers are returning to jobs they are not happy with. Worse yet, a global poll conducted by Gallup in 2019 discovered that a whooping 85% of the one-billion full-time workers worldwide are unhappy in their jobs.
Most of these folks curse the beginning of the work-days, grudgingly perform their work duties throughout the week, thank God it’s Friday, enjoy the weekend, and hit the ‘repeat’ button. But perpetually “living for the weekend” is not sustainable and shouldn’t be a long-term strategy in life. It is nonsensical for you to spend 5 out of every 7 days engaging in work or activities that you are not passionate about and don’t give you fulfillment. Only a purpose-driven life can reverse such abuse (abnormal-use) of one’s life.
You spend over one-third of your entire life, the most productive years of your lifespan, at work. When your work is not aligned with your passion and purpose, you have a problem; you have to wait until the weekend or close to the end of your life (retirement), if you ever get there, to experience a glimpse of happiness. Grace Bluerock (hospice-care social worker and author) noted this as one of the 9 most common regrets people have at the end of life, “they wished they had chosen work that was in line with their passion and purpose.”
The whole point of your existence on earth is to fulfill God’s purpose for your life. Where purpose is not known or not pursued, abuse is inevitable. An abnormal use of anything will invariably lead to disappointment, failure and unhappiness. God sent you here because He needed something done on Earth. He packaged you with a set of gifts, talents, virtues, strength, etc. to assist your with your assignment. This package is within you. You are to extract it from within you, refine it and serve it daily as your due diligence to God and your contribution to the enhancement of the world. This is your only true path to fulfillment, joy and happiness every day of your life. You will not be fulfilled until you pursue your purpose and passion. So next time you go job or career hunting, don’t just look for financial means; look for a means to fulfillment in life; a means to serve your gift to your community, country and the world.
This is how to TGIM (Thank God It’s Monday)
