No More Mondays
For everyone who dreads going to work on Monday mornings, inspiring advice on how to find fulfilling work in an uncertain age.
Do you hate Mondays?
If so, what’s keeping you at your current job?
If you said a steady paycheck and the promise of a secure retirement, then you’re in for a big disappointment. In today’s volatile economy, there is nothing safe about punching the clock for a job you hate.
As beloved talk-show host and bestselling author Dan Miller reveals, the only way to find true security is by following your calling and then finding or creating work that matches that calling and passion.
No More Mondays’s practical, inspirational advice speaks to people looking for guidance on how to launch a new career or business, those who want to stay in their current jobs and give the old 9-to-5 model a twenty-first-century makeover, and managers desperate to understand the way people want to work today. For all of them, Dan Miller’s message is loud and clear: If you’re one of those people who dread going to work on Mondays, do something about it!
———————————-
Here’s an excerpt from the book:
Is Your Job Making You “Stupid”?
Adam Smith, author of The Wealth of Nations, once wrote that a person who spends his life performing the same repetitive tasks “generally becomes as stupid and ignorant as it is possible for a human creature to become.” Wow! Now that’s not a pretty picture. Unfortunately, much of our work today consists of those boring, repetitive tasks.
But maybe you’re one of the many who have gotten caught up in thinking work is just something you do to support your weekends. Work is that necessary evil, a means to an end, or just a curse from God. You probably take your role of providing for yourself and those depending on you seriously. But you don’t expect to enjoy your work—you just do what has to be done.
Only now you’re seeing that even loyalty and dependability bring no guarantees. Lately you’ve seen coworkers who have been let go after years of faithful service. Perhaps your entire industryhas been shaken by outsourcing or changing technology. Maybe you’re tired of the long commute and being tied to your desk when you know you could make your own hours and still be productive. You may have ideas stirring that you think could create new income and time freedom.
But here comes another Monday. Maybe feeling trapped is just the reality of the way things are. Doesn’t everyone dread Mondays? Doesn’t every responsible person just bury their dreams and passions in exchange for getting a paycheck?
Absolutely not! All of us, no matter how old we are or what kind of work we’re doing, can learn to bring the same excitement to our jobs that we bring to whatever we love to do on our days off. I believe that each one of us can pursue work that is a reflection of our best selves—a true fulfillment of our callings.
No More Mondays will show you that meaningful work really is within your grasp. And once you’ve opened the door and seen all the exciting career opportunities that await you—whether you decide to revolutionize your current job or launch a new career altogether—you’ll find you can’t go back to the old way of working.”
March 24, 2008 at 2:26 am
I’m so surprised my information is filled in just from clicking a link in the newsletter Releasing-Kings.
I know my job is an assignment from the Lord, He sent me and He won’t let me leave.
I also know I am called to more, and really longing for the day I can walk in the fullness of His plan for me…
Looking forward to this window.
Carrie
March 25, 2008 at 9:45 pm
I just got through reading your book and unfortunately I fall with in your group who ended up working at Home Depot.
I was laid off in January 2003 and went looking for employment from real estate, consulting to doing what I did before which was a Marketing Manager for small tool manufacturer. I found no employment and no takers for the other items I tried.
I also applied to around 100 companies with no takers with the explanation that I was over qualified for each job I interviewed for which was about 30. I am 54 now but at the time I was 49 when laid off. The only company who would hire me was Home Depot and even then, the person who hired me was criticized by the personal manager for hiring me because of my education. That was almost three years. Have I kept looking and trying during that time, yes I have but still no takers.
This is where God has me now but I am hoping for something better since working at Home Depot is basically a no brainer type of job. Fortunately my wife has a good job or we would be in dire straights. In Nevada having an education works against you more than being over fifty. We are now thinking about moving to another state like Oregon or Washington where having a degree is not so negative on the resume.
Sincerely,
Bob Beavers
April 3, 2008 at 9:43 pm
Hello Dan. I’ve recently ordered your 48 Days book and workbook kit, based on the recommendation of a fellow podcaster/blogger named Cliff Ravenscraft. I can’t wait for it to arrive. Congratulations on the No More Mondays blog!
Wayne Henderson
“Tuning In with Wayne Henderson” podcasts:
Voice Over Journey podcast at http://voiceoverjourney.libsyn.com/
Wayne’s Take on LOST podcast at http://waynestakeonlost.libsyn.com/
Tuning In With Wayne Henderson podcast at http://whpodcast.com/
April 4, 2008 at 11:20 am
Well, today is Friday, and I am wrapping up my first official week of self-employment. I left the cage of a cubicle for the open range, the world at my fingertips. It is exhilarating to say the least. The week has flown by and I have loved every second of it! And, of course, I have to thank Dan in part for this event.
It has been almost one year to the day that I first began the process to make this change. I read 48 Days and instantly put Dan’s advice to work, except I did one thing wrong . . . I knew what I was looking for, but I was looking in all the wrong places! Dan’s process for finding a job works great, as I quickly received a job offer and had many other interested employers. But, due to my own misdirection, nothing greatly appealed to me. Throughout my interviews, it became apparent that I was looking for a situation similar to the from which I was seeking to depart: that situation that so subtly was killing my spirit!
So, I took a short hiatus from the job search for more introspection. It was then that I fully realized my desire to not only move into an entirely new profession, but to do it as an entrepreneur. Over the course of the next several months, I worked hard at developing not only the technical skill for the new area into which I was venturing, but also developing business management skills (on this note, I highly recommend Michael Gerber’s “E-Myth” and Jay Levinson’s “Guerilla Marketing”). Then, this past Monday, I was finally able to make the complete transition. Wow! What a year it has been!
I want to wrap up by encouraging all you who are seeking the job you love to continue and persevere until that day is a reality. If you are having difficulty, as I once did, continue to spend time in prayer and reflection, continue to seek wisdom, continue to push forward. DO NOT GIVE UP!
Landon
April 6, 2008 at 6:24 pm
“The 49th Day” – a poem
There is an illusive beast
That is hard to find and catch.
It is called, “The Job I Love”;
The joy it gives, there’s no match.
For if you capture this beast
It is a wonderful friend.
But the chase kills so many;
This is grave, I don’t pretend.
Though it’s not a rare animal,
It avoids its hunters well.
For by their naivety,
They can’t track its trail or smell.
Some hunt for days, others years,
And still so many fall prey.
But I, I will catch this beast
Before the forty-ninth day.
Copyright 2007 Landon Porter
April 6, 2008 at 7:02 pm
Landon, Thanks for the testimonial and then for the great 49th Day poem.
Wow — what a creative inspiration — hopefully, together we will be able to help a whole lot more people catch that “illusive beast.” It can be caught, tamed and turned into a source of incredible fulfillment and peace.
April 9, 2008 at 2:06 am
wow – here i am – 48 years – I work in IT – and was told my job would
end june… i have a possible position within another department – but –
it is also IT – and at this point IT makes me sick –it is very hard for me
to fathom doing another year of IT. I dont dread monday mornings – I
dread sunday evenings.
when i was first told my job was ending – it didn’t bother me – in fact – i
got excited and was thinking how this would be a great opportunity for
me to do something else – something more fulfilling.. but now – june is
just around the corner – and here i am lining up to take that IT position
with that other department – (i think i’m going to be sick) –
my predicament is that I have no idea what I could do – outside IT –
to make the money I need to make to maintain my current standard of living – which is not exorbitant by any stretch of the imagination.
I have been doing this kind of work for 28 years – and it’s killing me.
well – perhaps i’ll order your book and see — everytjhing i’ve read so
far sounds great – but the devils is always found in the details –
and i do so hate the details…
(best of luck to you Landon – great poem)
June 6, 2008 at 5:56 pm
Hey Dan,
I just got done listening to another one of your podcast. Listening to you speak has really encouraged me to find something better than I’m currently doing. I’ve been working in the manufacturing business for the past 8 1/2 years. Its getting to the point I don’t want to go to work anymore. I’m always waiting for 11 PM so I can clock out. I enjoy drawing cars and I want to work for a company telecommuting possibly as an illustrator. Its nice to finally know what I want to do with my life. Before I read your books , I really wasn’t sure what I wanted to do. God bless you and your family and keep up the great work that you are doing.
July 3, 2008 at 2:12 pm
Hey Dan,
I saw you on Living the Life and you were talking about getting a job that you love, rather then something that doesn’t make you happy. I’ve been trying to do that, but my problem is, I’m only 19 years old, and don’t have much job experience. So it’s really difficult to find somewhere that will hire me that I can really enjoy. I love art and design. The closest thing I’ve come to working somewhere great was working at a Chocolate factory where I made candy, but it was too far a drive and not busy enough to keep me going throughout the day. Basically anything that I can think of that I’d love to do, I’d need more training and more job experience to get.
December 2, 2008 at 6:15 am
My favorite quote is, “I believe that each one of us can pursue work that is a reflection of our best selves—a true fulfillment of our callings.” I love this because it makes me think of what someone who truly loves their work does, they bring their best selves to work every day. If you are willing to bring your best self to work every day, you must be pretty happy!
Kimmy B. “The Prosperity Blogger”
http://www.prosperityblogger.wordpress.com
December 2, 2008 at 7:11 am
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February 18, 2009 at 2:46 pm
Dan,
Thanks for an excellent, inspiring book. I want to point out an obsolete fact related to AT&T, where I work as a manager (for now). You wrote on page 95, “…at AT&T, a third of managers can work from anywhere they choose.”
While this may have been true in the AT&T Corp. days (when “AT&T” mostly meant a long-distance company), this has NOT been true since SBC Communications bought AT&T Corp. and renamed the combined company as AT&T Inc.
Within a year after SBC “assimilated” the AT&T Corp. employees, “the new AT&T” had shut down the telecommuting/teleworking program that apparently was saving AT&T Corp. some $41 million per year.
I truly believe that closure of the telecommuter/teleworker program related to an inherent distrust that SBC leaders had for employees.
“The new AT&T” (AT&T Inc.), which now also includes the former BellSouth, is today the largest private employer of union people.
And I believe that the typical union-vs.-company tension manifests itself at AT&T Inc. — comprising mostly legacy SBC and legacy BellSouth people — as a distrust not only for union people but ALSO for managers — as in, “If we cannot see you in your cubicle, then we do not trust that you are doing any work for us.”
This flies in the face of the fact that many ad-hoc project teams within AT&T Inc. today are scattered across offices all over the U.S. Effectively, we ARE telecommuters — meeting by telephone bridges and Microsoft LiveMeeting sessions — because few of us in any of our meetings are in the same office. But AT&T Inc.’s leadership does not see the forest for the trees — that we effectively telecommute, but from AT&T office buildings instead of from our homes.
Personal example: My Senior V.P. — five levels above me and three levels below the C.E.O. — said in his town-hall meeting yesterday that he found almost NO VALUE in telecommuting (even called it “telecommunicating” at one point).
He went on to say that he had approved ONLY SEVEN requests for telecommuting AMONG HIS 2,023 MANAGERS.
That works out to 0.35% — NOWHERE NEAR THE 33% that you reported (probably accurately for the old AT&T Corp.) on page 95 of your book.
“Do as we say, not as we do.”
March 8, 2009 at 2:56 am
Thanks.
September 15, 2009 at 5:45 am
Hello, Tonight the Holy Spirit was talking to about my job, I work with developmentally disabled adults. I feel trapped , working for alittle above minimum unless overtime which is about $20.00 but I am absolutely stifled and I need to break free. I have started several business, which did ok, not great and tonight I asked God to give me an idea………… just one, I probably should have asked for more, to show me how to start a business that would enable me to earn 100,000.00/yr. My husband and I have a ministry which has expanded from home church/ pizza bible study and prayer and recently I returned from the Dream Center in LA, so now we are going out to the homeless camps with water, candy, and are able to pray for these wonderful people.
I read the Releasing the Kings webpage and I know this is GOd’s direction for me.
If you have a wisdom driven idea about starting a business that ultimately will impact the Kingdom of God through our ministries and donations, please write to us.
In His infinite love,
Gail Timmerman
gail77776167@sbcglobal.net
October 19, 2009 at 12:24 am
No More Mondays has to be one of the most relevant topics for more than one generation during a post-industrial time when people cannot realistically spend their working lives all with one large corporation. The values of both human capital and intellectual capital require that people will bring themselves up through further qualifications, certifications and specialized education which is in no way the purview or domain of the Fortune 500, particularly when greater satisfaction is derived from doing what is advocated by Dan Miller.
November 10, 2009 at 4:40 pm
I am frustrated. I have read 48 Days to the Work You and No More Mondays but I do not know what I am passionate about or what unique gifts and talents God has given me. What am I missing? How do I discover these so I know what kind of work or business I should be a part of? I would sincerely appreciate anyone’s thoughts!!
November 24, 2009 at 5:26 pm
Im a janitor. talk about a job with no brains required. I am grateful to have a job, but I’m tired of this work. And my back is getting older. So am I. Just got your “no more mondays” book. looking forward to reading it
November 24, 2009 at 11:47 pm
David S,
take this spiritual gifts test. I found it helpful. and its free.
http://www.kodachrome.org/spiritgift/
November 25, 2009 at 6:52 am
Admin,
Thank you for your reply. I took the test, my highest score was in faith, however my score was only 8…practically every question was never for me. This has become so frustrating that I wished I had never read Dan’s books….how can he say “that even a 10 year old knows what they are passionate about” when I have absolutely NO CLUE!! Apparently God doesn’t want me to know either because that prayer hasn’t been answered yet.
November 25, 2009 at 2:29 pm
Unfortunately we often make God our Santa Claus rather then our Creator. If we keep looking for candy canes to be dropped in our stocking I’m quite sure we’ll be disappointed. If we recognize we are “children of the King” we will see our gifts and put them to use.
November 25, 2009 at 6:47 pm
wow….first of all I am honored that you replied, that means a lot to me and I am being totally sincere about that. I don’t think I am looking to God as Santa Claus. I am not asking for a material item or wealth. I am asking him to reveal to me how he has gifted me and to give me direction on how I can use those gifts to serve him. Am I the first person you have ever heard of that doesn’t know what his passion or spiritual gifts are?
Here are a few things I enjoy. Playing golf, going to christian contemporary music concerts, my favorite group is Casting Crowns, listening to sermons from John Piper, Chuck Swindol, and Tony Evans, spending time with my wife and daughter, and traveling.
I am as serious as I can be about wanting to know my passion and how God has gifted me.
November 25, 2009 at 11:59 pm
David – I don’t want to heap guilt or anguish on anyone still struggling to find their gifts and passion. But if we are looking outwardly for that insight we will be disappointed or misdirected. Look at what God has already revealed to you – in trusting your sense of peace and joy as you recognize what you enjoy. God is not holding anything back – don’t put Him in the position of having to make pigs fly to get your attention.
November 27, 2009 at 1:13 am
I can understand davids situation. I am in the same boat. In my mid 40s and still wondering what I’m gonna be when I grow up. But as long as God is in charge, I am not giving up hope. We all have talents and gifts. I had no idea what My spiritual gifts were until I took the test I mentioned. Hang in there David. Keep searching and praying. Many of my answers on that test was also “never”.
November 27, 2009 at 5:20 pm
Incredible…I am not alone!! I was starting to think “what is wrong with me”…I also am in my 40s……a low paying job that I hate. I am blessed with a wonderful wife and daughter. I will continue searching and praying. Thank you for letting me know that I am not the only one!!
December 2, 2009 at 9:44 pm
[…] That day, I made the choice to live my life with no more Mondays. This phrase can be found in Dan Miller’s book of the same name. Dan’s message is simple – “If you’re one of those people who dread going to work on Monday morning, then do something about it!” (https://48daysblog.wordpress.com/no-more-mondays/) […]
January 4, 2010 at 7:13 pm
Hello, like your blog very much. I found it on google
March 5, 2010 at 5:10 am
Will anybody be in a position to smell a smoke smell on me?
April 29, 2010 at 5:43 am
Hey, I found your blog in a new directory of blogs. must have been a typo, anyway cool blog, I bookmarked you.
May 19, 2010 at 11:00 am
Loved the book! I am well on my way to an exciting new career in Email Marketing for small businesses. See a need and fill it- see a problem and solve it… This is what I am doing.
My advice to job seekers- sometimes the best job for you is something you are already doing for your employer, but should be doing it on your own. Thanks Dan!
July 24, 2010 at 1:33 am
I am reading and loving your book. Thank you!
Maybe you already knew this, or someone else has already pointed this out…
Did you know that your list for attracting money on page 214; energy, ambition, desire and imagination, spells I.D.E.A.?
October 10, 2011 at 5:48 pm
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September 30, 2012 at 5:52 pm
I took a job 6 years ago with a small municipality as the Executive Secretary (I believe that would be the last Exec Secretary position available in the U.S., since that title died in the 80’s). Everyone questioned my motivation: Would I be happy just sitting at a desk all day?? Why would I leave a job that I was good at and happy with? The answer is simple and stupid — Moola, cashola, security! I could have a no-stress position and make almost double of what I was making at the other job! The perfect “up to retirement” position!
So, here is how that turned out: This Wednesday I was called into the mayors office and informed that he had decided to elimate my position due to budget constraints. I spent 5 years with an awful City Administrator who was verbally abusive and just plain fowl. He was “let go” and replaced with the guy that worked in the sewer plant, but had a teaching degree (I can’t make this stuff up). No experience, no management skills and a huge amount of insecurity. Needless to say, seen as a threat, I was one of the 5 to go when a huge financial discrepency was discovered by an auditor. I’ve spent the last 6 years in Hell, and suddenly I’m “let go”.
How do I feel? Well, I’ve mad, sad and confused. Then a friend recommended I read No More Mondays. It’s as if the book was written specifically for me! Everything is making sense!!
I’ve got a lot of decisions to make. Thanks for sharing your experiences and those of others, as well!! I suddenly realize I’m not alone. And what seemed like a tragedy is now seeming like a blessing. The best is yet to come!
February 14, 2013 at 4:35 am
[…] his book No More Mondays, Dan miller explains that the word enthusiasm means God within us. God has placed desires and […]