Ahh, Mondays. How motivated do you feel today? Most people look at Monday as the beginning of a week, a fresh start, but sometimes, Monday is seen negatively or even as a punishment. But what if we made this beautiful day, just another day? Or we called it, “motivational Monday?” (I am such a loser, I’m so sorry). What if we took today’s efforts, maximized the hell out of them, and appreciated each tiny thing that comes our way? Time is a concept, and we give it too much power! We don’t know “how many” more Monday’s we have. So I decided to make this Monday great, and try to throw a little random inspiration your way!

While the following may seem like a compilation of random quotes, they are quotes that I try my hardest to live by. I have a strong admiration for each of the following people, and I truly believe that they sought hard to find meaning in life, and thus discovered the beautiful truth that real happiness and success in life can only be produced by your own motivation.

Muhammad Ali

“Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the world they’ve been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It’s an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It’s a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing.”

Tony Robbins

“Beliefs have the power to create and the power to destroy. Human beings have the awesome ability to take any experience of their lives and create a meaning that disempowers them or one that can literally save their lives.”

Steve Jobs

“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it.” ... " You can't connect the dots looking forward, you can only connect them looking backward. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something: your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. Because believing that the dots will connect down the road will give you the confidence to follow your heart, even when it leads you off the well worn path."

Jonathan Haidt

“Happiness is not something that you can find, acquire, or achieve directly. You have to get the conditions right and then wait. Some of those conditions are within you, such as coherence among the parts and levels of your personality. Other conditions require relationships to things beyond you: Just as plants need sun, water, and good soil to thrive, people need love, work, and a connection to something larger. It is worth striving to get the right relationships between yourself and others, between yourself and your work, and between yourself and something larger than yourself. If you get these relationships right, a sense of purpose and meaning will emerge.”

Gary Vaynerchuk

“Live your passion. What does that mean, anyway? It means that when you get up for work every morning, every single morning, you are pumped because you get to talk about or work with or do the thing that interests you the most in the world. You don’t live for vacations because you don’t need a break from what you’re doing—working, playing, and relaxing are one and the same. You don’t even pay attention to how many hours you’re working because to you, it’s not really work. You’re making money, but you’d do whatever it is you’re doing for free.”

Buddha

“To enjoy good health, to bring true happiness to one's family, to bring peace to all, one must first discipline and control one's own mind. If a man can control his mind he can find the way to Enlightenment, and all wisdom and virtue will naturally come to him."

Confucius

"The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential... these are the keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence."

Questionable

“Here's to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They're not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can't do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.”

I wanted to leave you all with this quote. The reason I left the person as "questionable," is because there has been controversy for as to who wrote this orginal manuscript. But nonetheless, I believe it is a powerful quote. It holds a message that not just anyone can relate to. It's powerful, mind-boggling, and very prevelant in today's society. I think that each person in this article belongs to the category of genius.

Lastly, despite anything and everything that you have gone through in your life, remember to stop, take a deep breath, and recount the many things that you have to be thankful for. No matter how small or how few, just think on these things. Use that feeling of gratefulness to tackle this week, help a friend, hug a loved one, and make a difference. Have a fabulous Monday and go out and get after this amazing life!

Be innovative, be creative, follow your passions, and live life for you!