When did being positive become something seen as immature or naive? I feel like it’s so typical to fall into an endless cycle of negativity. It’s always easier to complain about something than it is to find the good things that can come from it.

Emotional intelligence is defined as, “the capacity to be aware of, control, and express one's emotions, and to handle interpersonal relationships judiciously and empathetically.” I really don’t think America’s education system is going to be adding emotional intelligence along with science and math anytime soon. I don’t necessarily expect it either— emotional intelligence is something that comes along with growing up.

I’d like to say I’m pretty connected with how I feel, but my first reactions are the worst, especially if they’re negative. I can’t help but respond with how I feel instantly. Expressing emotions, good! Expressing emotions without processing through them, bad!

A couple weeks ago, one of my sorority sisters challenged me (and the rest of my chapter) to “be the type of person who likes Mondays.” I can literally feel the eye-roll of whoever is reading this, but hold on, give me a chance to explain— I hate Mondays.

I hate the feeling in the pit of your stomach when the realization that Sunday night has turned into prep for Monday morning, meaning that you only have so many hours to do everything you procrastinated on by then and meal prep in time for the week so you don’t eat too much Chinese take out and that you shower and get to bed before some unholy hour so you force yourself to wake up within the next six hours only to still feel completely and utterly unprepared for the pain that you’ve finally reached the ugly that is Monday morning.

I hate it.

So when the idea of challenging myself to like Mondays came up, I laughed it off. But this week, it stuck with me. I’m generally a pretty positive person, but I let myself fall into a cycle of dreading the immediate future in exchange for wishing for the years to come. Years to come that are, in fact, full of Mondays. Surprise, 2016 has 52 Mondays.

That’s 52 Monday mornings.

52 Mondays to either groan and complain or get up and work.

52 Mondays that I get to live and experience in all their glory.

Maybe I’ve been missing Mondays in my life. Each day is an opportunity for positivity, which means kindness, laughter, and empathy all have their role to play— even on a Monday.

Maybe I’ve been overthinking the magical possibilities of what liking Mondays may actually do for my well-being. I could definitely just hop back into complaining and laying in bed for just a little bit longer in the morning. But every minute or second I’ve spent hating on Monday is wasting the precious 24 hours I have for each of my 52 Mondays for the year.

Challenge yourself to be the kind of person who likes Mondays. Make your bed, eat a bagel. You only get so many Mondays, so make them worth it.