I have to.

Photo by Glenn Carstens-Peters on Unsplash

What’s on your to-do list?

Whatever it is, I guess it’s long. It’s probably mixed with things you need to do, things you should do, things you’d like to do and things you really don’t want to do.

It’s important, but maybe it’s wearing you down.

Here’s a little trick I learned when looking at my to-do list.

Instead of saying, “I have to do the shopping this week”, or “I have to book that dentist appointment”, or “I have to clean the house”, try switching that second word out.

How does the sentence feel when you say, “I get to do the shopping this week?”

I get to go to a store, or a market, or cultivate a backyard that is growing food for me. I get to choose what I want to eat for the week. I get to pick produce that the government has made sure won’t make me sick. I get to provide sustenance for my whānau (family) and I know that the food is clean and healthy. I get to choose from an incredible number of foods from all over the world that have been flown or shipped to my city. The food is stored logically and safely so I can find it. I know that this food will keep me going, help me to be creative when I cook, and change my mood considerably.

I get to be the one to do this.

The simple replacement of the word “have” to “get” can change our mindset when we approach these tasks. What is a hassle, a pain, a waste of time, banal, frustrating, boring, annoying… can become a privilege.

I get to be a provider? That’s something to be thankful for.

A wise businessman said to me last week, “Jemma, you’re going to die with things on your to-do list. Don’t worry about it.”

And he’s right.

Attitude matters.

HT to Peter’s & for reminding me.