Five Minutes on Mondays

Monday mornings can be rough, especially when the thought of the week ahead is bleak. That's why Rabbi Alan Lurie started doing his five-minute talks on Monday mornings at Grubb and Ellis, a real estate firm in New York City where he is a managing director.

Lurie's book, Five Minutes on Mondays, is a compilation of these five-minute talks. Some of his topics include keeping integrity while being successful, finding a deeper meaning in your work, and balancing honor, tradition and faith. His talks have a non-denominational spiritual theme interwoven as a way to achieve these goals.

One of Lurie's talks, on confidence, outlines the following points:

• Focus on Your Strengths—Know where you are most effective and know your limitations
• Monitor Self-Talk—Think positively and have a good mental attitude
• Visualize- Visualization helps you anticipate issues before they arise
• Evaluate Yourself Objectively—Have self-confidence but set realistic expectations
• Give Yourself a Break—Don't be too hard on yourself

The author encourages the reader to be optimistic while maintaining a realistic outlook at the same time. The times aren't perfect, but there is something to get out of it anyway.

— Kassia Shishkoff

Buy Five Minutes on Mondays: Finding Unexpected Purpose, Peace, and Fulfillment at Work.