filed on: 08.12
  • share

Turning “I Have To” Into “I Get To”

When you wake up in the morning… what do you tell yourself? Is it, “I have to go to the gym,” “I have to go to work,” or something along those lines? I think a lot of us get caught up in the daily grind and all the things we feel like we “have” to do, and we forget to take a step back and think about how lucky we are that we GET to do these things.

We GET to live this life. We GET to live another day, so live it with purpose and cherish it! You have the power to decide how you’re going to view each moment and what you tell yourself WILL make an impact. If you wake up and think that you’re going to have a bad day, you probably will because of that very mindset.

And by the way, I fully understand that everyone has their own struggles and nothing is ever perfect. I don’t want anyone to interpret this post as if I’m simply saying that no matter what you’re going through, you should feel lucky and you should be able to snap your fingers and be more positive.

What I do believe is that in our everyday, mundane life activities, it is really easy to feel as though we “have” to do all these things, which is ultimately a negative way to look at it. If we can rewrite the dialogue and change our perspective on certain things, we’re more likely to live a much happier, more satisfying life!

So I wanted to share a few examples of things I’ve reworked in my mind over the years in hopes that it’ll inspire you to do the same 🙂

“ I Have to Get Out of Bed”

Yes. There are definitely some days that I wake up and I have a million things that I feel like I have to do (wake the kids up, make them lunch, hop on a conference call, drop my kids off at school, and the list goes on). But when I take a moment to step back, and just notice that I’m breathing and my feet are on the ground, and I’m healthy- my mind automatically flips to “I get” to wake up and get out of bed to start my day. I immediately feel a sense of relief because those things that initially felt like chores begin to feel like blessings.

“I Have to Go to the Gym”

I think a lot of us have had that feeling of absolutely dreading to go to the gym. Let’s be real, when you’re tired and you’re either having to wake up at the crack of dawn before work to get it in or you’re going straight from work, it’s kind of the last thing on this planet that we want to be doing. But think about it: you’re lucky to have a healthy enough body to even go to the gym. The fact that you get to go to the gym means that you’re improving your overall health and well-being. Plus, that rush of endorphins that you’re going to get after you crush your workout is going to be more than worth it- once I realized this, workouts became SO much more exciting to me.

“I Have to Go Do Work”

This one’s a biggie. It’s tough because I know a lot of people who are unhappy with what they do for work- and I feel so deeply for those who don’t love or even remotely like what they do, but have to do it to provide for themselves or their family. That’s why I want to be extra sensitive here. I don’t think that it’s absolutely necessary to always go into work with a smile on your face and a positive attitude- I get that that’s not realistic. But let’s take a step back and think about how to turn work from an “I have to” into a “I get to.” The way I see it, the way you look at each moment in your life is going to make an impact- so if you wake up and think that you’re going to have a bad day because you hate your job, you probably will because of that very mindset. If you can rewrite that and say “I want to make the most of today. I am grateful that I have a job that pays the bills and that I GET to go to because I am alive and healthy.” Or something along those lines so that you’re acknowledging what you DO value about work.

So let’s start flipping the switch and making more positive manifestations… starting now! I hope this helped and inspired you, and if it did, please let me know in the comments! I would love to hear from y’all 🙂

filed in: Expand