Do you suffer from the dread of Sunday night?
When I was a kid, there was nothing worse than a Sunday night during the school year. The final harbinger of weekend freedom was perilously close. As the sun went down and the clock ticked down, the hole in my stomach grew and grew. I did well in school, but thinking about a week of early mornings, boring lectures, bad lunches, stupid bullies, and boring homework was not something to look forward to.
He suffered from Sunday Night Dread.
On Friday afternoon, the future unfolded before me with endless possibilities. Freedom was intoxicating and the sky was the limit. On Saturday, I knew the clock was ticking, but I took solace in the fact that I still had a full day left in the bank. But there was no escaping Sunday Night Dread, with its Monday whispers growing louder as the day wore on.
The most treacherous Sunday Night Dread of all arrived on the last day of summer vacation. So Sunday Night Dread was extended to a whole week!
I used to believe that Sunday Night Dread was a condition that only affected school-age children. A graduation from formal education taught me otherwise. I found that the vast majority of adults also suffered from Sunday Night Dread, along with the anxiety of another week of late nights, boring meetings, bad lunches, stupid bosses, and boring work. It’s so widespread that one restaurant chain has achieved great success by adopting a theme, thank goodness it’s Friday, which is the antithesis of Sunday Night Dread.
Once I got married and hit the ground running in my career as a freelance illustrator and designer (which evolved into what I do today), I never suffered from Sunday Night Dread. I was finally doing what I loved and really looking forward to Mondays.
Sunday Night Dread is still a big factor for most people. But it doesn’t have to be.
In your program, the big idea, Donny Deutsch interviews people who do what they love and, in many cases, have made millions doing it. During one episode, he made this statement: “If Sunday night feels different than Friday night, you’re doing something wrong.”
Read that sentence again and let it sit.
If you’re on the right track, Friday shouldn’t feel any different than Sunday or Tuesday or any other day of the week. You must have a passion for your work that doesn’t die down when it’s time to go home. It should keep you up at night (in a good way, excited to get going the next day).
If you’re not enthusiastic about your job and you’re experiencing Sunday Night Dread, you probably fall into one of two camps. Either he knows exactly what he’d rather be doing (and, for a variety of reasons, stays put), or he has no idea what he’d rather be doing. Entire books have been written on what to do if you’re in either field, but let me offer you a few simple steps to get you started.
Scenario #1: I know what I’d rather be doing, but I can’t do that!
If you stay in a race that encourages Sunday Night Dread even though you have a bigger dream deep down, you have at least one obstacle in your way, and that obstacle is called fear. You can say, “That’s not true; I just can’t afford to miss out on the great benefits that come with this job.”
Really? Tea TRUE is that you are afraid that you maybe get sick and file for bankruptcy if you give up those almighty benefits. I can’t go into every potential obstacle you run into, but if you’re honest with yourself, you’ll notice that it usually comes down to fear.
Combat this fear by spending time thinking about what you might lose if you don’t take the leap. Imagine life in the future a decade or two from now: what will those regrets feel like tomorrow if whose go for it today? And what could you gain if you do? A little perspective like that is a great catalyst to remind you that as painful or scary as it may be to act now, you can never match the pain of regret if you don’t even try.
Scenario #2: I’m not crazy about my job, but I’m not sure what else to do.
If you suffer from Sunday Night Dread, but have no idea what you’d rather be doing, you’re a weirdo. I bet you really DO know what you want to do, but you’ve given fear such an advantage that you won’t allow yourself to consider alternative possibilities.
Awareness if the first step. The mere act of recognizing Sunday Night Dread will remove a block and open your mind to new opportunities. Pay attention to the things about your job that you really like. Or the passions and hobbies you can’t wait to work on when you get home. These clues can help you lead a life without Sunday Night Dread.
No matter what camp you’re at, it’s important to know that if your Friday night feels different than your Sunday night, you’re doing something wrong. You were not designed to work hard with your talents and passions languishing on the sidelines. Take the first step to eliminate Sunday Night Dread from your life today!
