Dear Family,

For many people, this is the first full week back in the office.

It's a fresh start to the year. New calendars. New routines. New intentions.

For some of us, the holidays didn’t really mean time off, but there’s still something about the first Monday of the year that feels different.

On Sunday night, I was genuinely excited for Monday.

When I woke up on Monday morning, I wasn't anxious or dragging my feet. I was ready to get to work. And it got me thinking…

I believe the quality of your Mondays is a pretty good metric for the quality of your life.

So many people spend Sunday evenings with a pit in their stomach. Counting down the hours. Bracing themselves for a week they don’t want to live.

They go to work out of obligation.

And there’s no shame in responsibility, especially when people depend on you.

But too often, that obligation turns into sleepwalking through life. Days blur together. Weeks pass unnoticed. Years go by faster than they should.

Monday becomes something to survive instead of something to step into.

Loving Mondays doesn’t mean every day is easy. It doesn’t mean the work isn’t demanding. It doesn’t mean there aren’t moments of stress or uncertainty.

It means you’re moving in the direction of something that matters to you.

Purpose has a funny way of changing how time feels. When your work is aligned with who you are, and who you’re becoming, Monday stops feeling like the enemy. It becomes an opportunity.

As we settle into this first full week of the year, my hope for you is simple:

Pay attention to how you feel about Monday. Because it might be trying to tell you something important.

From Lux, With Love

-Matt