Monday, January 19, 2026, marks an interesting intersection on our calendars. To many, it is "Blue Monday", statistically cited as the day when the cold weather, the arrival of post-holiday bills, and the fading of New Year’s resolutions converge to create a seasonal low in morale. But more importantly, today is a day dedicated to the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
As business leaders, we often find ourselves caught between these two energies: the heavy "weight" of the daily grind and the "light" of a larger vision. If you’re feeling the mid-January slump today, the solution might not be more caffeine or a better spreadsheet. The solution might be Purpose.
Dr. King famously said: “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’” In a business context, we often get so wrapped up in the what (the product) and the how (the logistics) that we lose sight of the who.
When we lose the who, we lose our momentum.
Purpose isn’t just a buzzword for a mission statement on a lobby wall; it is the most effective fuel for resilience. When the "Blue Monday" fog sets in, we find our way through it by remembering that our businesses are engines of service for our community.
The "Blue Monday" slump only wins if we believe our work is a series of empty tasks. But when we view our local business community as a network of people serving people, the day takes on a new color.
Today, I encourage you to look at your "to-do" list through the lens of Dr. King’s "urgent question." How is your work making Southeast Missouri a better place to live? When you find that answer, you’ll find the energy to climb any staircase.
Let’s keep building together.
