The Spirit of Friday

Hello My Writing Warriors!

Friday is a magical day in our Western World. When I was working 9-5 in the corporate world, I always woke up on Friday eager as a beaver because I knew that I was going off into the weekend. I was going off into two days of rest and rejuvenation where I would be free from the tyranny of the clock and the demands of working for someone else.

TGIF has become a short hand for all that is right and good in the world. It is a day when many adults are happy. Now, my question to you all is this. How can we take that spirit of play and fun on Friday and extend it into our lives and our writing?

It would be wonderful if life was a playground, 80% play and 20% work. How can we achieve this? How can we transform ourselves and our world so that all our days are Friday?

Maybe that is too ambitious a topic for a short JFW! Blog Post. Lol! Nonetheless, I will try with a good old fashioned top five list.

5 Ways to Bring the Spirit of Friday into every Day  

1. Live with a Noble Purpose. On Friday, most of us wake up with energy and excitement. We feel inspired like kids about to get out of school. If we have an animating purpose to our lives then that goes a long way towards bringing the excitement and energy of Friday to the rest of our lives. Examine your Purpose. Do you even have One? If you don’t then seriously think about getting one. It doesn’t have to be this Earth Shattering I’m Going to Wipe Out Poverty tomorrow thing. Perhaps your purpose is to care for an aging parent. Perhaps it is to be more kind to your spouse. Start small with purpose and build momentum.
2. Create your Mighty Mission. Wouldn’t it be cool to know that you were on a mission, that you had a reason for being here? I don’t subscribe to this chaotic, existential despair, God is Dead so who the hell Cares philosophy. I choose to believe that there is a greater good, a plan going on from a benevolent universe and that our lives have purpose. Part of that purpose is for us as human beings to make a difference in our lives and our community. We can do that by creating a mighty mission for ourselves. My Mighty Mission is to Inspire others to write because I believe that we all have infinite stories within us that are begging to be told, and that when we write those stories come into the world, and the world is a better place. What is your Mighty Mission? How would your life change for the better if you knew you were on a Mission? Create your Mighty Mission today and watch the spirit of Friday transform all your days.
3. Wake Up Early. This is an essential practice if we want to bring the Spirit of Friday into the rest of the days of the week. Getting up early has been espoused by everyone from the ancients to Ben Franklin to our modern day productivity gurus. I know from experience that when I get up early and spend time writing and in meditation that my day is going to be better. If you are looking for a book to read about morning practices and how to start your day off right then I highly Hal Elrod’s The Miracle Morning. This is a great book that has grown into a movement and rightly so. Check out this book and the Facebook Group. You won’t be sorry.
4. Journal. Since this is a writing blog, I would be remiss if I didn’t include one of my favorite practices for capturing the Spirit of Friday and that is writing in our journal. Use your journal for everything, but definitely include space in your writing for gratitude. I like to wake up early and write in my journal. The great artist and teacher Julia Cameron calls this practice Morning Pages. She teaches her students to write 3 pages of stream of consciousness longhand writing every morning. I believe in this practice and like to focus on gratitude. Don’t get me wrong. I do a fair amount of griping and venting in my morning pages, but I always close out with what I am happy and grateful for in my life. The Spirit of Friday is fun, excitement and anticipation, but at its core, Friday is about gratitude. Write down everything you are grateful for and review this list daily.
5. Get a Side Hustle. So many of us feel stuck in our dead end jobs. We feel trapped and beaten down by working for just a paycheck. Part of what makes the Spirit of Friday so magical is knowing that we are going to be going to be leaving the realm of working for someone else to do what we want to do if even it is only for two days. Part of extending the Spirit of Friday into our whole week is to be involved in our work. In this new age of Entrepreneurship and the Internet there really is no excuse not to have a side hustle. There are so many opportunities to turn your hobbies or interests into cash. Why not do what you love? Do you love driving around in the car and meeting new people. Drive for Uber or Lyft. Do you like dogs? Why not get paid for it and walk dogs for Rover. If you are interested in exploring the realm of the Side Hustle more extensively then I recommend another great book. It’s called Side Hustle by Chris Guillebeau.

Well there you have it my writing warriors. Life is too important and precious just to be happy on only one day. The Spirit of Friday can live through us and animate the rest of the week if we are just disciplined and focused enough.

What about you my writing warriors? Do you have any suggestions for how to live the Spirit of Friday? What do you do to make the rest of your week magical? Let me know in the comments.

Until Next Time, my writing warriors!

TC