Gratitude is en vogue for good reason. No stronger antidote for unhappiness exists than the daily review of what we are grateful for. Remembering to be grateful is not always easy, however, especially when we get busy and confront numerous challenges throughout the day.
I remember exactly when this happened to me. It was 1991 or 1992 while I was attending Riverside Community College. I remember telling myself I 'have to' go to class or 'I have to' do my homework. Then one day I realized that it was my decision to go to school and that I was paying for it. Why would I volunteer to 'have to' do anything? From that day on, I started using 'get to' and it has made a world of difference.
During the winter break, I was with some friends of mine that work with my wife at the local high school. It was Sunday night and they were all still on their winter break. It was getting late and one of the people said, "Oh, that's right. You 'have to' go to work in the morning, don't you?" with a sad look on her face. My response was instinctive and I replied, "I get to go to work in in the morning." Someone else called BS but my wife and a close friend of mine shook their heads and said, "No, he's serious. That is just how he is."
Funny thing is, one of the teachers told me a few weeks later that he remembered what I had said and that it has been helping him get through a rough period in his current role.
I remember exactly when this happened to me. It was 1991 or 1992 while I was attending Riverside Community College. I remember telling myself I 'have to' go to class or 'I have to' do my homework. Then one day I realized that it was my decision to go to school and that I was paying for it. Why would I volunteer to 'have to' do anything? From that day on, I started using 'get to' and it has made a world of difference.
During the winter break, I was with some friends of mine that work with my wife at the local high school. It was Sunday night and they were all still on their winter break. It was getting late and one of the people said, "Oh, that's right. You 'have to' go to work in the morning, don't you?" with a sad look on her face. My response was instinctive and I replied, "I get to go to work in in the morning." Someone else called BS but my wife and a close friend of mine shook their heads and said, "No, he's serious. That is just how he is."
Funny thing is, one of the teachers told me a few weeks later that he remembered what I had said and that it has been helping him get through a rough period in his current role.