#MondayMotivation: With Tropical Popical's Andrea Horan

Yay! Monday! Unless you've been living under a dark rock for the past few days, you probably don't need quite as much motivation on this gloriously sunny Monday as you normally do. It's not raining, it's officially summer, people all over Ireland are knocking off work early, sunning themselves where any available inch of grass presents itself, and as it marks the first sign of summer for most of us, we're probably all fairly lobsterified too. Note to self: suncream.

So, for this week's dose of #MondayMotivation we've sat down with someone who's got an incredibly summery disposition: Andrea Horan, owner of Tropical Popical and social media starlet. Nothing says summer quite like Lilt and bright colourful nails, right? Saoirse Ronan can't live without her Tropical Popical and neither can we. Here's how Andrea makes her Mondays work.

What do you do on a weekly basis?
I spend every day trying to bring as much tropical and kitsch to Dublin as possible with Tropical Popical & Tropical Hype.

The dream. How do you start your week?
It depends on whether I’ve been out the night before. It can swing between a day in bed recovering from Sunday night (I work in TropPop on Saturdays so Monday is essentially my Sunday) or I’ll have spent an hour on Sunday writing ‘The Week Ahead’ for myself and the team so I grab a coffee in Clement & Pekoe, check in on that week’s students in TropPopHighSchool and then on to the office to start ticking some things off my list. I’m either very on it, or very not! I’m a big believer in working when you’re on it and not beating yourself up when you’re just not in the mood.

We're too hard on ourselves, right? Okay so, top tips for a Monday?
My ideal tip is to try and get a job where you don’t have to work on a Monday. I love working on Saturday and having Monday off!

Again with the dream scenarios! Your Monday (or, erm Tuesday) fear cure?
Do something that makes your heart sing so you’re only sweating to get cracking on the week ahead. I’ve tried my very best to create a life where every day is as good as the next so I’m not pining for the weekend or holidays.

The answer to a shitty Monday = Steak and red wine in L’Gueleton

Best life advice?
Live each day in the present. I’ve obviously heard this trotted out millions of times, but it’s only when you *really* hear it and start living by it that everything gets easier. Whenever I get stressed about something, I ask myself – ‘Am I happy right now’ and 9 times out of 10 I am. It’s worrying about what might or might not happen in the future that causes the problems.

Right, we're printing that off and sticking it on our fridge. Worst life advice you've been given and ignored?
‘No one’s going to get your tropical tack vision’.

Best career advice?
Position yourself under and around people whose job or skills you want.

Tell us about an experience when somebody said, in so many words, that you probably couldn't achieve what you want to, but then you did it anyway.
I don’t think anyone ever has said that and if they have I clearly just ignored it. I’ve no time for negativity. Unless I’m an innocent lil bitch!

Tell us about a time you made a mistake, big or small, and how you picked yourself up afterwards and learned from it?
I worked in Spin for 6 months in sales. The people I worked with were closing deals every day or so. I sold one ad in the whole 6 months. Sales clearly isn’t my bag and that’s ok. They obviously had to let me go but that meant that I applied to Thinkhouse and got my dream job there because, and not in spite of the fact that I wasn’t a sales person. You don’t have to fit in everywhere, just where fits in with you!

Favourite curse word?
Geebag. It’s so Dublin.

Song you'll definitely dance to when nobody's looking?
Ursula’s Poor Unfortunate Souls. She’s my Kween.

When you're really pissed off you're most likely to...
Bury it and let the passive aggression take over. I’m trying to work on this obviously.

Oh, you're in good company; passive aggression is our M.O. Your go-to quote when you're lacking in motivation?
Trust Yourself

Your secret ingredients for motivation?
Picture the end goal of the project you’re working on. Nothing spurs me on more than the feeling of a successful project and the feeling of accomplishment. It makes all the in between stuff worth it. I’m definitely a starting vision and finished project woman – I hate the middle stuff.

Mondays aren't the worst because...
You’ve got a fresh slate for the week ahead – the dream.

What are you doing that's good for your brain?
Trying to read as many books as I can rather than scrolling through my phone at night. I have the ultimate love/hate relationship with my phone.

Book that you'll always return to, and why?
All Jackie Collins ones, especially when she reads them on her audiobooks. The glamour literally seeps from every word.

What makes you feel good, that doesn't cost a penny?
The ride.

A dinner dish that could make any Monday bearable?
Homemade tomato and garlic sauce with pasta, buffalo mozzarella, basil and Parmesan. I’m clearly not a clean eater.

Your top 3 comforts?
My dogs, Italian food, lols with my gurls.

Guilty pleasure?
The Session. I love them but I’m in bits for days afterwards.

When life gives you lemons...
Deal and delete. You just have to get on with it.

Favourite online destinations when you need a pick-me-up (besides beaut.ie, obviously)
Any of Plastik magazine's platforms. It’s the best visual treat possible. My eyes cannot get enough.

If you could urge women to read one piece of writing, what would it be and why?
Louise O’Neill’s Asking For It. I’m basically obsessed with her and her take on things.

Life motto?
Life is life.

Treat yo self at Tropical Popical and follow them on Instagram here. Andrea's peerless wit over yonder.