Come on, complain with me for a while.
Mondays suck.
There.
I said it.
Come on, complain with me for a while...
I see it every Monday in the workplace.
People shuffle in a little slower.
A little more tired.
A little more lethargic.
Maybe they stayed up too late over the weekend.
Maybe they're dreading the week ahead.
Maybe they're frustrated with their job.
Maybe they just really, really hated hearing that alarm clock go off this morning.
Then somebody walks by and says:
“Happy Monday!”
But everybody knows there's a little irony behind it.
Or you hear:
“Another case of the Mondays.”
Or my personal favorite...
You ask somebody how they're doing and they say:
“Living the dream.”
But the way they say it tells you one thing:
They are most definitely not living the dream.
Well...
I want to encourage you today to actually live it.
Live the dream for real.
I'll be transparent with you.
These days, I'm a corporate warrior.
I sit in a cubicle.
I go to meetings.
I answer emails.
And I'm still trying to figure out what the next chapter of my own life is going to look like.
I'm still chasing another dream.
But there was a time when I got to live my hockey dream.
And Mondays existed there too.
I remember showing up to the rink on Monday after a long weekend of games.
Everybody was beat up.
Everybody was sore.
Everybody was tired.
Maybe you went out with the boys after Saturday night's game.
Maybe you didn't get enough sleep.
Maybe your shoulder was killing you.
Maybe your legs felt like concrete.
And it would have been very easy to walk into that locker room and start saying:
“Man, I'm exhausted.”
“My back is killing me.”
“I'm so sore today.”
“I don't feel like practicing.”
But when I was playing for the Providence Bruins in the American Hockey League, I made a promise to myself:
NEVER COMPLAIN.
Never say I'm tired.
Never say I'm sore.
Never bring that energy into the locker room.
And eventually, as I became one of the leaders on that team and wore an A on my jersey, I brought that mentality to the group.
I remember having a team meeting and establishing a simple rule:
We don't complain in this locker room.
Why?
Because complaining is contagious.
Think about it.
You're sitting there getting dressed and you feel completely fine.
Then the guy next to you says:
“Man, I'm exhausted today.”
And suddenly you're thinking...
You know what? I am kinda tired.
Then somebody else says:
“My shoulder is killing me.”
And suddenly you start rolling your own shoulder around.
Yeah...mine's a little sore too.
One negative thought becomes two.
Then three.
Then suddenly the whole locker room feels tired.
That's why I wanted our locker room to be a sacred space.
Positive energy only.
If you're sore?
Take care of your body.
Stretch.
Recover.
Get in the ice bath.
Do your rehab.
If you're tired?
Get to bed earlier tonight.
Fix it.
But you don't need to announce it to the entire team.
Because one of the most valuable things you can become is the person who raises the energy of the room instead of draining it.
Your teammates notice that.
Your coaches notice that.
And eventually...
Organizations notice that.
It's another way you make yourself valuable.
So maybe you woke up this morning tired.
Maybe you're sore.
Maybe school is stressing you out.
Maybe you're worried about tryouts.
Maybe practice isn't going the way you want.
Maybe you're frustrated with your coach.
Maybe you're wondering where you're going to play this season.
Fine.
You can acknowledge reality.
But don't live there.
Don't complain about it.
Don't spread it.
Instead, make a decision:
I'm going to be positive today.
I'm going to be excellent today.
That's what I'm telling myself this morning too.
As I sit here in my cubicle, maybe part of me misses the hockey days.
Maybe sometimes I wonder what I could have done differently.
Could I have played longer?
Could I have done more?
Could I have squeezed another year out of the dream?
Maybe.
But sitting around complaining about yesterday isn't going to build tomorrow.
So I'm moving forward.
And you should too.
When somebody around you starts complaining today...
Smile.
Nod your head.
And keep moving.
Stay on your mission.
Keep moving toward your goal.
Keep moving toward your hockey dream.
Because it's out there.
And if you focus hard enough...
You can almost see it.
Now go get one step closer.
Knuckles Up,
Bobby "positive vibes only" Robins, ex hockey pro, writer for Wraparound, inspiring hockey player to chase and accomplish their dreams
P.S. Dreams usually aren't accomplished through one gigantic leap. They're built through small, almost boring, daily steps. It's September. Captain's practices are underway. Training camps and tryouts are here. You're already putting in the work on the ice—so why not add a few extra reps when practice is over? Head into the garage, grab your stick, and get another hundred touches in. The Puckaround is designed to give you the feel of a real puck off the ice, so you can keep working long after you leave the rink.