Reprint of First Edition To Start Our Sixth Year!

Someone recently asked how long I had been publishing Monday Morning and whether or not I still had a copy of the very first edition. The answer to the first question is that with this edition, Monday Morning begins its sixth year of publication. The first Monday Morning went out on May 12, 2003 and was simply text copied into the body of an email. The mailing list has swelled over the past five years, and format has evolved into a blog-site. I used to send it out every week, but time constraints, etc. have reduced Monday Morning to a 42 times a year publication. Even though the content contains more words, the central theme remains the unchanged. Hopefully Monday Morning has provided all my readers with a degree of inspiration, some ideas that proved helpful and a few concepts that created a “can-do” attitude in the face of difficulties.
The answer to my friend’s second question is, “Yes, I still have that first edition.” What better way to start the sixth year of Monday Morning than to revisit that first edition? I’ve reprinted it (unedited) below.
Have a GREAT and profitable week!
Robert Hidde


Robert Hidde’s Monday Morning!
Monday, May 12, 2003

Every week I am privileged to talk with people about their careers and life situations. Over the years, I have found that many times situations are clarified or changed when three principles are applied to them:

Be aware of what you are doing and why you are doing it: A young man once complained about his job being "hum-drum". He compiled and edited reports for management. I asked him to explain why these reports were important. After a few minutes, he began to realize the importance of what he was doing and his attitude toward his work changed. Regardless of what you do, if remind yourself of the bigger picture - the importance of the outcomes that result from your work-- your work will take on new meaning and your enthusiasm for it will return.

Be cognizant of your resources: Often we feel overwhelmed by a situation because do not feel that we have the resources to deal with it successfully. When you are faced with a situation take inventory of your resources. Chances are you will discover that there are people in your company, past experiences you've had or opportunities for self-education that will clarify how to deal with it constructively.

Experience your past successes: Several years ago, my wife was division manager for a nation-wide company. One of the top producers in the division had fallen into a slump. After a few weeks, my wife visited with this person. It seems that this person’s immediate supervisor had tried to help by focusing on the things that were going wrong during presentations. My wife suggested that the former top producer tell her about some of her past successes and how they were accomplished. After hearing a couple of stories, she said, "I want you to review these in you mind everyday, and forget about your failures". Within a month the superstar producer was back on top. Moral: Don't get so focused on what is going wrong, remind yourself of what you've done right-and learn from that.
Until next week,

Robert D. Hidde