How to Make Every Monday Count: A Guide to Intentional Living

Everyday Better is LinkedIn News’ weekly personal development podcast and weekly newsletter hosted by Leah Smart, a LinkedIn News Editor. You’ll hear from some of the world's brightest minds and bravest hearts who use science and story to share strategies for how we can flourish individually, in relationship to others and to the world around us. We talk about improving emotional, work, physical and relational health. Subscribe to the show's newsletter for weekly evidence-backed strategies to make your life better, one day at a time.

Most of us move through life like we have unlimited time. We postpone adventures, delay hard conversations and downplay our discontents, reassuring ourselves there’s always later. But how much time do we actually have to do the things we want to do? And what happens if we never get around to doing them?

If the average woman lives to 83, that works out to about 4,000 Mondays in a lifetime. Subtract your age in weeks and what’s left isn’t just a number – it’s a wake-up call. When you see how finite your time on earth really is, you start to get curious about whether you’re spending your days in ways that make you feel truly alive, not just busy.

This Week on Everyday Better 💡🎧

This week, I sat down with Jodi Wellman , a former corporate executive turned life coach and author, who’s made it her mission to help people stop sleepwalking through life. Her message is simple but powerful: most of us aren’t really living; we’re just going through the motions. 

One of the most powerful takeaways from our conversation is Jodi’s idea of tracking your “aliveness.” It’s not about being happy and excited in every moment of every day, but about intentionally seeking out micro-moments of meaning, purpose and playfulness in your day-to-day. To that end, Jodi offers strategies for recognizing when you're numbing out and for making the most out of life – without quitting your job or moving to a mountaintop.

How to "Live Like You're Dying" (Because You Are...)

If life feels a little 'blah' right now, Jodi recommends getting clear on exactly which type of 'blah' you’re feeling: Are you lacking on vitality or meaning? (Positive psychologists call this hedonic versus eudaemonic well-being).

She’s created a framework to help us gauge our aliveness (or “deadness,” as she says). Where would you plot yourself on this graph? 

We all want to be in the upper right corner: the "Astonishingly Alive" quadrant, where we feel like our lives are full of both vitality and meaning. But according to Jodi’s research, only eight percent of people feel this way.

So, how do we get there? I asked Jodi to describe each of the four sections in her framework and give advice on what you can do to move closer to "Astonishingly Alive."

Meaningfully Bored

“Life feels meaningful, sure . . . but sorrily short on zesty splendor. We feel flat, anti-effervescent. No fizz to be found. High on purpose . . . low on pleasure (and maybe piña coladas).”

Her Advice? Get Back in the Game: “Reflect back on the times you felt more vitally alive: what were you doing then? What activities might you want to pick back up? Re-try something you used to like as a kid, like skateboarding or playing guitar.”

Vitally Empty

“Breathless fun followed by tumbleweed blowing across the landscape of one’s soul. So much pleasure! We can have all the fun and eat all the pink popcorn at the circus . . . and still go home feeling empty inside.”

Try Reevaluating Your Definition of Purpose: “Assess whether you are being too hard on yourself for not having a "big enough" purpose. Are you actually doing meaningful things and just judging yourself? Ask a trusted family member or friend what kind of meaning they think you have in the world. Their answer might inspire you to double-down or make a shift.”

The Dead Zone

“There’s a pulse . . . but it’s faint, and it might be a good idea to check where the closest defibrillator is. We’re lacking in both vitality and meaning in this zone, and while it ain’t pretty, there is hope.”

Start Small: “Explore if you are clinically depressed– and if so, get some help from a mental health professional who just might make a massive difference in your life. If that's not a current issue for you... Don't try to overhaul your life in one fell swoop; it's just not sustainable. Pick ONE THING to do over the next 10 days that will either add more vitality or meaning to your life... like registering for a class, going for a 10-minute walk at lunch, reading a book instead of scrolling through the news, trying meditation, calling your Dad and asking how he's really doing, organizing your closet, trying that local church service, choosing a healthier side dish, taking a mini-retreat by yourself (even for a few hours) to prioritize the things that matter to you in your life, etc.”

Astonishingly Alive

“The hotbed of where life’s getting lived . . . with both width (vitality) and depth (meaning). This is the mecca of this little odyssey we’re on together.”

Don’t Take It for Granted: “If you self-identify as a resident of the Astonishingly Alive zone, we must acknowledge that you’re not the type to rest on your life’s laurels. You are the mountain climber interested in scaling Maslow’s pyramid allll the way to the self-actualized top, aren’t you? For you, your lifelong project will be one of incremental inching up to the top right corner of the top right corner of the top right corner. We are cheering you onRate how much you like your life on a scale of 1 - 100. What would it take to dial it up by just 3 points? Pick one area to do more of and one area to do less of (for example, more fiber and less gossip).”

What Makes You Feel Astonishingly Alive?

Leave a comment telling us when you feel most alive. Jodi generously agreed to send a free copy of her book, You Only Die Once: How to Make It to the End with No Regrets, to the first ten people who do so! (FYI she’ll send you a message on LinkedIn after to coordinate).

🫀Love this quote? Screenshot and share it with someone else 👩📱

Activity: Calculate how many Mondays you have left

Read: You Only Die Once: How to Make It to the End with No Regrets by Jodi Wellman

Watch: TEDx Talks: How Death Can Bring You Back to Life

📍For more advice on living life to the fullest, listen to my conversation with hospice care nurse Hadley Vlahos here.

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Everyday Better is LinkedIn News’ weekly personal development podcast hosted by Leah Smart, a LinkedIn News Editor. You’ll hear from some of the worlds brightest minds and bravest hearts about how to live with more clarity and intention every day, in and out of work. Subscribe to the show's newsletter.