Are you robbing yourself of joy?
Learn a simple technique to change the way you view your life.
The words you choose change you.
Quality of life is not solely determined by what happens to you, but it is definitively decided by your perception of it. Greek philosopher Epictetus said “It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.” Great advice, right? But how do you change your perception? Well, lets start simply!
Here is the mind blowing and simple technique that can change the way you view your life:
Stop saying the words, “have to”.
I promise I’m not crazy. Yes, we all have things to do. Some of them we enjoy and some of them we don’t. But if you are going to do something, you might as well look at it from a positive perspective.
“Have to” is burden language. It robs the joy from your life. It turns your life into a chore. It makes you a victim. So replace the words “have to” with “get to”.
What does your life look like if you “get to” participate in your life? How does it shift your mentality? For me it changes the flavor of everything.
My life has been one long series of “have to’s”. I can go back through my life and catalog how I turned what could have been blessings into chores. My life was one big “to-do” list. I “have to” get up, I “have to” go wake my son up, I “have to” make breakfast, I “have to” go to work and on and on and on. Make no mistake, when you live in a “have to” state of mind, you can ruin anything.
With a perspective shift, I “get to” wake up in the morning in my own bed. I “get to” wake my son up and eat breakfast with him. (Well to be honest, he’s a tween, so we eat breakfast in proximity of each other.) I “get to” drop him off at school and I “get to” go to work. Do you see all the blessings hidden in these “get to’s”? I have a place to live, a room of my own, food to eat, a wonderful child to love, a car to drive and a job to go to. All of that and more is contained within the get to of my morning routine. Think about this: How many blessings would I have if I put my whole day into “get to” state of mind?
Challenge yourself.
Listen for your “have to’s”. You may be shocked how many times a day you you tell yourself that you “have to” do something. Your “have to’s” may be something you say out loud to another person, out loud to yourself or just in your own head. No matter how it is delivered, when you hear it, change it. Every time you have a “have to”, transform it into a “get to”. Say it to yourself! I “get to”_________. Think about the blessings this “get to” entails. Trythis every time you hear your “have to”.
Let the challenge be a “get to” and not a “have to”. In the spirit of this simple perspective shift, can you look at this challenge from the “get to” lens? Growth opportunities are so much better if you can look at them as an opportunity to improve your life and character!
Try it for a day or a week and see what happens. Do things shift for you? Are you happier? Are you more grateful? Come back and tell me what you noticed. Whether it shifted things or not, I would love the opportunity to hear your perspective.
