Why I Hate Weekends

I hate weekends, okay, I don’t hate weekends, but I hate this word. I have disdain for this word’s cousins as well—week days, work week, vacation, time-off, ‘thank god for Friday’, etc. Why? Because these words have such an insidious implication that ‘work days’ (or times that we are ‘working’) aren’t really part of our life or that somehow we aren’t really living during those moments. To me when I hear these kinds of words used, all I can hear is, 'I’m not really living when I’m at work, so thank god for Friday’s and time off and for the vacation I have coming up.’ As though the moments that we are not ‘working’ are the only times we are present in our lives or have the option to enjoy or find pleasure in a given moment.

I have a business coach, and in our first meeting together she asked me something along the lines of, ‘So, what do you want your work week to look like?’ I hesitated and then told her my hate of that language. I said that I want to intentionally live and find joy and pleasure in every single moment of my life. Because every moment I’m alive is my life. I have designed, and continue to design, my life in such a way that I can be present with each moment, each task, and any activity, because I don’t want to miss a single moment through unconscious or unintentional living. I find the pleasure in living as often as I am able.

I won’t mislead you, this is not always easy for me to accomplish. And of course I still experience sadness, unconscious moments and other regular and difficult human experiences and emotions. And yes, of course, I have days carved out in my life where I don’t engage in tasks that make me money, i.e. work; and yes I enjoy traveling and having extended periods of time where I am not engaging in profitable tasks. And no, I don’t always look forward to the tasks I have at hand. This mode of living and changing my mindset is an ongoing learning experience for me. But I am committed to living in as much presence as possible. And my desire is for everyone to be able to have as fulfilling and pleasure filled lives as possible as well.

I think living in this way, with presence, with intention and/or in the most conscious way, first starts with awareness and acceptance. If you find yourself longing for more pleasure and ease in your life. You can start with changing the language you use when talking about your life. Words have power, we know this. Try bringing awareness to the way you describe your days, your week, the time you spend not at work. Maybe try changing how you actually speak about these things with others. And notice how your mindset follows and changes with your thoughts and words. It sounds simple, but it's not easy; like many things in life.