How often do you wake up and think that you have to get up?
How often do you wake up and think that you get to wake up?
An outlook of gratitude will change the way you look at your day. Be thankful that you get to wake up in the morning. Be thankful that God gave you another day to live in His creation. Be thankful that you have the gifts given to you to help the people around you.
From reading books and talking to people who are really successful in their industry, many of them begin every day in gratitude, including Tony Robbins and Jon Gordon. That ranges from a gratitude walk every morning to reading their Bible and writing down the things they are thankful for. Gratitude is the key to thinking “get to” instead of “have to.”
I struggle with this just as much as any of you do. Besides my awesome financial planning course, I walk to class with the attitude that I have to go to class instead of thinking that I am privileged to get to go to class. There are billions of children across the world who don’t have the opportunity I do of pursuing a college degree. Yet, I have the attitude of having to go to class and do my homework instead of getting to go to class and getting to learn.
For the runners reading this email, do you run each day knowing that you have to go and pound out the miles? Or do you think about how great it is that you get to go and run 10 miles and compete against the best athletes in the country? Try getting injured for a year. You will have the mindset of getting to run instead of having to run each workout.
Look at the parts of your life you dread doing every day. Maybe that’s cleaning, homework, or your job. Take a new mindset this week and tell yourself that you get to do some of the things you don’t like. You get to make your room or house clean for the others who live there. You get to learn from your classes or homework. You get to help others with your job.
I challenge you to change your perspective to one of “Get To” instead of “Have To.” It is going to be weird and feel fake at first. That’s normal. Don’t let that deter you from trying. I think you will be happier and enjoy going through your day more than usual.
I appreciate you.
-JP