Every Monday Matters was not for me.
The author starts out by explaining his story – he spent his whole life chasing a Western ideal of success, but that made him anxious and depressed, and now he travels around the country speaking and inspiring people with his message.
“I believe that we humans are all the same – we want to feel loved, that our life has purpose and meaning, that we are seen and heard, that we have gifts to offer the world, that we are worthy and enough, that our words and actions are meaningful, that we belong, that we are good. In other words, we want to know that we matter.”
The book is divided into sections, and the intent is that you take action on one of those sections, on every Monday for a year. Some of these ideas are worthwhile – writing down goals is something that I do, and I find it really helpful to solidify what I intend to do. Breaking those larger goals down into smaller milestones makes sense and makes you more likely to achieve them.
“Let’s think big. Pick one area of your life for which you want to set a new and ambitious goal, then write down your one-year, three-year, five-year, and even ten-year achievement goals. Now outline the steps and create the plan you’ll need to achieve each major milestone along your journey.”
Some parts of this book take complicated ideas and try to make them seem easy and bite-sized. Here’s what the book had to say about equality.
“This Week… SEEK EQUALITY
“It is really easy for us to think about what we want for ourselves, but how often do we genuinely think about the hopes and dreams of others? Well, we should, because we are all equally deserving of whatever makes our hearts sing, as long as it’s not at the cost of someone else’s happiness or life. But sometimes we lose sight of this, and we operate from a place of competitiveness, entitlement, or scarcity, as if life is a zero-sum game—if someone gets, then someone doesn’t. This only feeds the worst part of us, so from this point forward, let’s SEEK EQUALITY. If asked, most people would say that everyone deserves the right to food, clean water, shelter, love, health, safety, freedom, and education. Well, it’s good that we feel this way, but the truth is that millions of people don’t have any of these, and it’s not because there isn’t enough of it. It’s time for all of us to TAKE ACTION against every single injustice and inequality that exists today. Let’s be the great equalizers. When I say, “We matter,” it means all of us matter. It’s a global thing. Seeking equality matters.”
So basically, inequality exists, and is bad, and then he stamps the point with a sentiment that sounds suspiciously close to “All lives matter.”