Entrepreneur Beginners Guide
“You Are Excited When Monday Morning Arrives”
It’s just another manic Monday I wish it were Sunday ‘Cause that’s my funday My I-don’t-have-to-funday It’s just another manic Monday
—Lyrics from “Manic Monday,” The Bangles
“Manic Monday,” the catchy song that debuted in 1986 by American pop rock band the Bangles and written by Prince, describes the weekly angst of so many people who get up to go to work on a Monday morning. Although I was only years old in 1986, I remember the song’s melody well and can still recite some of the lyrics by heart. As a toddler, I had no idea what the song meant. I just knew there was something peculiar about a Monday. Soon enough, though, I was able to relate to the song: Just a few months later, Monday morning meant time to go to school, and that’s no more fun than having to go to work.
The Bangles’s song became a hit because so many people could relate to it. Everyone at some point in life has had Monday morning woes. While the song describes a common anxiety in a fun, lighthearted way, the matter of Monday mania is much more serious than you might think.
A disproportionate number of heart attacks occur on Monday mornings. The reason? People are so stressed out about going to work on Monday that their blood pressure levels skyrocket, increasing the likelihood of a heart attack. A study conducted by Japan’s Tokyo Women’s Medical University and published in the American Journal of Hypertension in 2005 proves that having a job can be devastating to your health. So much for the matter being lighthearted!
In contrast to this gloomy and depressing reality for millions of Americans, one group of people actually loves Monday mornings.
These people neither have a theme song written by a huge rock star nor a published medical study about how little stress they have. Who are these rare people? Entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs love Mondays. Why? Several reasons, but here are two of my favorites:
- Mondays represent a rebirth. Working on a Monday is like hitting the reset button. Most entrepreneurs work nonstop, so Mondays if for no other reason than being the first workday of the week—represent a time to restart and to refocus.
- Mondays are business as usual. On Monday, the world seems to be functioning in its totality once again. People are back in their offices. They return calls. They return e-mails. Because it’s an official workday, people feel more obligated to get back to you. And if you are in sales or negotiations, nothing is worse than the week-end killing your momentum. You can’t conquer the world if it stops for two days.
Those of you who are already entrepreneurs probably nod your heads in agreement. On the other hand, those of you who are working a 9-to-5 and have entrepreneurial dreams find it hard to believe that anyone would love a Monday morning. This segment is for you. But don’t worry about actively trying to assume this characteristic. It’s automatic.
An entrepreneur who dreads Mondays is probably not an entrepreneur for the right reasons. If you need a litmus test to see if your motivation is where it needs to be, this is it. Put another way, if you are an entrepreneur and you don’t like Mondays, it’s probably time to do something else. How you feel on this critical day is so important. After all, it could be a matter of life or death—literally.
