Thank God It’s Friday©

No, I’m not talking about the 1978 movie Thank God It’s Friday starring Donna Summer and Jeff Goldblum, although I have to admit that I did watch it and enjoyed it. But that was a time in my life when I was into disco (Can you say Dixie Electric Co.?). Thankfully, I am long over that phase. What I am referring to is the very typical mindset in the United States where people can’t wait until Friday comes. We look forward to it with great anticipation because it’s the end of the week and the doorway to the weekend. In reality, it’s not the end of the week on anyone’s calendar. According to international standard ISO 8601, the week begins on Monday and ends on Sunday. On calendars in the United States (including Google Calendar), the week begins on Sunday and ends on Saturday. However, by all accounts Friday is the end of the so-called work week, and that’s why Friday has become the holy grail for many, a belief that is keeping many of us from enjoying work, our weekends and our lives. Read on and see what I mean.

It’s quite evident that Friday is the focal point of the week for most people and saying “thank God it’s Friday” is more than a clever line. For many of us, it’s a life line – look forward to Friday with great anticipation and struggle through the rest of the week. In contrast, which day of the week is the least favorite? Monday, because it’s the beginning of the work week, it represents us leaving behind the weekend and it’s the furthest away from the holy grail of Friday. Taking it further, which day of the week is the second worst day of the week? Sunday, because it’s the end of the weekend and it’s the last day before the dreaded Monday. Are you seeing the pattern here? Think about it – this is a common perspective of many of us, and we don’t realize how that impacts our mindset and attitudes throughout the week.

Here’s a case in point. As many of you know, I change my voicemail message every day to let people know my schedule and when or whether to expect to hear back from me that day. I close every message with something like the following: “Thanks for calling, and make it a great Monday.” I change the day depending on the day of the week. A couple of months ago someone called me on a Monday and started off their message as follows: “First of all, there is no such thing as a great Monday.” We may want to believe that this was a little joke, but we know better. Very few people like Mondays, most people do not look forward to Mondays and some people absolutely hate Mondays. If I were a Monday, I would definitely feel unloved. The only people who are excited about Mondays are the people that love what they do and who are excited about the opportunity to get back to doing what they love, creating something new or making an impact in whatever way that means for them. You can imagine how short that list is, although I happen to be one of these people.

In fact, I’m not sure that I love any day of the week more than any other. I certainly enjoy my weekends, but as an entrepreneur I often find myself doing some form of work on the weekend. In fact, I’m writing this blog on a Saturday morning because the idea struck me and I had some time. Entrepreneurs don’t think about work weeks – we think about creating, building and achieving. While it’s not always a great thing and can lead to me always working, it’s a very different view of the world, the work week and of life. For me, other than needing the days of the week to be named so that I can have a schedule and know where and when I need to be somewhere, I view every day as just another day in the week. This helps me to think and live more in the moment and to be more present, rather than thinking about what a day is not (if it’s not Friday), looking forward to Friday all week (which keeps me from being in the moment) and dreading Mondays (when my weekend is “too short”).

In case you didn’t realize it, the weekend is always the same length, but there are three things that can make it seem too short. First, it’s what we do with our weekend that can make it feel short, especially if we fill it up with activities just like a weekday. Second, we sometimes work throughout the weekend, so we feel like we never had one. Third, we are so focused on dreading Monday that we don’t enjoy the weekend and its moments. If we’re lucky, we enjoy some time on Saturday, and then on Sunday we start thinking about the dreaded Monday that’s just around the corner.

It’s time to let go of the ideal of Friday and to start being thankful for every day – no one day over any other. As long as we are fixated on Friday, we will miss out not only on our fabulous weekdays, but also on enjoying the weekends. It may seem like a small thing, but as long as we are looking forward to Friday as the best day of the week (because the work week is ending), it will keep us from enjoying every moment of every day. Similarly, going into Monday and expecting it to be bad can become a self-fulfilling prophecy. How we see the world, including the days of the week and our weekends, will determine how we experience work and life. Like so many other things, how you see it will determine how you experience it.

Instead of thanking God for Friday, let’s shift to thanking God for every moment of every day just the same. Look forward to every day (work day or weekend), and if you can’t look forward to going to work, perhaps it’s time to get a job that you can look forward to. Look forward to time with friends, co-workers or family, whether on a work day or the weekend. Wake up on Monday morning and look forward to having the opportunity to go to work. Be thoughtful not to overbook your weekends so you can enjoy the time with friends and family. Remember that every day is precious and meant to be lived fully and with gratitude. From now on, embrace this simple motto: Thank God it’s today and that I’m here to live it!