Have you ever stopped and thought about how many things you have to do every day? Let’s take a typical, average day:
First you have to get out of bed. Then you have to take a shower, have to get dressed, and have to eat breakfast. Then you have to get in your car and drive to work. Then you have to work all day. After work you have to go to the grocery store. You have to gather all the food, have to pay, and have to drive home. Then you have to cook dinner, eat dinner, put away the leftovers, and then there’s all those dishes you have to do! Your evening goes on with more tasks to complete; maybe you have to exercise, catch up on texts and emails, wash your face, brush your teeth, and finally – finally then you have to go to bed because tomorrow you have to do it all again!
That’s just a generalized, summarized, ordinary day. If you thought about your own average day, there are probably dozens of other things you added in (double dozens if you have kids). It feels so daunting, so overwhelming when you think about all those things you have to do. And you really do have to do them; most of those tasks can’t be skipped, at least not on a regular basis.
What if there was a little trick, a tiny flick of a wand that could magically turn that gigantic day of “have to” tasks into a day of privileged actions? What if you could switch out just one word that could change your entire outlook, energy, and attitude toward every single task you do? Could one word really do all that? You bet it can!
It’s simple to learn, simple to use, and simple to share. Are you ready? Here’s the magic formula:
Have to = Get to
That’s all it takes. When you catch yourself thinking or saying out loud “I have to go to the grocery store / I have to walk the dog / I have to do the laundry…” just flick that wand and transform those have to’s into get to’s. Chores and tasks become instant blessings. Presto! Watch this…
“I get to go to the grocery store – and pick out foods that I get to eat! / I get to walk my happy dog! / I get to fold my nice, clean clothes!”
When you greet a task – any task – with the notion that this is something you “get” to do, suddenly it’s a gift, and gratitude takes its course. It makes you think for a moment about how many people would love to have what you’re “having” to do. It makes you think a little bit more about how blessed you really are. Now let’s take a look at that typical, average day again:
First you get to get out of bed. Then you get to take a shower, you get to get dressed, and you get to eat breakfast. Then you get in your car because you get to drive yourself to work. Then you get to work all day and make yourself some money. After work you get to go to the grocery store. You get to walk around and gather all the food you want, you get to pay with the money you earned, and you get to drive home. Then you get to cook dinner, eat dinner, and put away the leftovers. And let’s not forget about those dishes you get to do, which serve as a reminder of that nutritious meal you just ate! Your evening goes on with more activities you get to do; maybe you get to exercise, catch up on texts and emails, wash your face, brush your teeth (ahhh so fresh and minty!), and lastly you get to climb into your soft, clean, comfortable bed because tomorrow you get to do it all again!
What a difference a word makes.
You can incorporate this into your routine as often or as little as you like – switching that one word just once a day will make a difference. Try it and you’ll see. Once you “get to” you’ll get it!
