“Is it Friday yet?” is probably the most common question asked in offices. Most of us know that feeling, when the weekend ends and we have to face the most dreaded day of the week: MONDAY!! Monday is the day, you have to wake up early and realize the weekend is over and you have a whole week ahead of you. Those of us who work 9-5s, drag ourselves through the work week, constantly mumbling, “is it Friday yet?” By Wednesday, we are so worn out, we actually convince ourselves that Friday is the next day and we almost have ourselves convinced until Thursday rolls around and it isn’t Friday.

If we didn’t live such routine lives, we wouldn’t have phrases or TV lineups of the 90’s called TGIF (Thank God It’s Friday). Why is it that we’ve fashioned our lives to become endless quests for the weekend? Is that all there is to living? Waiting each week for Friday? I sure hope not! I wonder if this is an American phenomena or if across the 1st World, there are people all looking forward to the end of the workweek. Working is a necessity, but does it really have to be such a drag that we count the days each week until it is over?

For those who love their job, this may not be an issue, but is there a way to make the work week enjoyable even if you don’t like your job? How about doing something in the middle of the week that you can look forward to. I know that when I was in Grad school, the one thing that really saved me was taking dance classes every Tuesday night. I loved going to salsa class and the open dancing afterwards, so much so that I started counting the days ’til Tuesday. Maybe if we all add something to our weekly schedule, outside of work, that we can look forward to each week, then we won’t find ourselves always waiting for Friday. Or maybe start a group with some friends at work or outside work that gets happy hour every Wednesday or even Monday, so you can look forward to those days too.

We just really need to get out of this vicious cycle of wishing it was Friday all week long and then dreading Monday all weekend long. Another thought would be to do something less conventional and actually create a life that you’re excited to live everyday. Imagine that, waking up every morning excited for the day to come. This falls along the lines of doing something you’re passionate about for work. I know this is more challenging, because these kinds of lives take more effort to build, but I’m sure in the end its worth the time if you have a life you love living. For example, have you always dreamed of traveling for a living? Honestly, who hasn’t? Well there are now ways to make that possible by learning skills to work remotely or teaching English abroad or being a paid blogger.

Maybe you’ve always dreamed of starting your own business. Well what is stopping you? Is it just too easy to be miserable, rather than happy? I think people would rather accept their fate as a 9-5er waiting for happiness at the end of the week, at the end of the school year, at the end of life. Well guess what, happiness isn’t a carrot dangling in front of you that you must catch. Happiness is a decision that you must make every day. Do you decide to be happy or do you decide to be miserable? It is up to you. Would you rather choose the life chosen for you or the life you choose? These are questions you must ask yourself, because if happiness is truly all you want then you need to wake up and decide to have it.

Stop waiting for Friday. Stop waiting for when you have enough money. Stop waiting for retirement. Do it now! Travel now! Start that business now! Quit the job you hate now! You have the ability to be happy today. Stop just floating by in life. Do things that make you happy every day. Sure you must plan for the future, but who the heck knows if that future will happen. We never know what will happen in life. I could’ve died in that car accident on Saturday. I could’ve been paralyzed, and if I had kept putting my life off for the future then I would have missed out on living the life I had before tragedy struck. Thankfully, I can proudly say that if tomorrow is my last day on this earth, that I have truly lived. I’ve quit jobs that didn’t make me happy, for ones that felt more fulfilling. I’ve saved up all my money and traveled the world. I’ve taken chances. Have you? Can you say that if everything ended tomorrow, you would feel satisfied? If your answer is no, then you really need to get out there and start living and start being happy TODAY!! Now GO!!