Think about this one throughout today’s podcast, you see life through your own unique lens. There isn’t anyone that sees in this way. It affects how your assumptions look and your expectations that you hold about yourself, life, and situation.
So, I recently was listening to a podcast and the guest was talking about how her day was put into perceptive by just using the word “get” instead of “having.” This got me thinking about how these two words can be easy to say, “I have to” over “I get to” and created this thought of how this mindset shifts really impacts who we are at our authentic self. Here we are in talking about the shifting of our perspective to help in how we are able to successfully work toward our goals and build a life that we love to greet each day.
Do your words really matter in the perspective of what you have going on in life?
· Topic 1: Does your mindset have an effect on this?
o The mindset that you have affects things like —your thinking patterns, personal attributes, cognitive competencies of you. Which is why this is important in understanding who you are authentically, of how you see the world and the lens of “I get” or “I have” to playing a role in your growth.
o Your mindset absolutely shapes the lens in which you see your reality of the world, your situations, and your opportunities for how it is going to impact you day to day.
o Did you know that your mindset will influence how you think, feel, and behave? This is true in any situation that you have. Research shows that your mindset plays a very significant role here.
o The practice of your mindfulness to become more aware of your language is important to catch yourself when you use phrases that denote of obligation and consciously reframe it from there. Get those around you on board to help in creating a supportive community that is uplifting to each other. If you cannot find that in your own circle, let’s connect and I would love to help you look for the “I get to” in your life.
o What happens within a growth mindset?
· In a growth mindset you are going look at failures as opportunities to grow, you are willing to learn anything, you like to try something new, you find feedback as constructive, and you look at your attitude in determining your abilities. These are some ways a growth mindset can affect the way you are in your success.
o What happens within a fixed mindset?
· In a fixed mindset you are going to look at things as sticking to what you know, giving up when you are frustrated, not liking to be challenged, you get something or you don’t, and when you fail it limits you. These are some of the ways that living in a fixed mindset can affect your ability to go beyond.
· Topic 2: Shifting our perspective
o This shift in perspective can dramatically transform how we approach daily tasks and challenges. When we think "I get to," we acknowledge the opportunities and privileges inherent in our activities. For instance, "I get to go to work" highlights the ability of having a job, whereas "I have to go to work" can feel burdensome. Similarly, "I get to exercise" celebrates the health and ability to move our bodies, contrasting with the obligation implied in "I have to exercise."
o Adopting this mindset fosters gratitude and can enhance our overall well-being. It encourages us to see even mundane tasks in a positive light, turning routine obligations into moments of appreciation. This subtle but powerful change can lead to a more fulfilling and optimistic outlook on life.
o Let’s dig into this mindset today and how it can help you toward becoming the most authentic version of yourself.
o We can base this from part of my life, in 2019 I discovered that I had been overpaid for two and half years. This was a shock to me because I had just closed on a house two months before, had a little on my credit card I had planned to pay in the upcoming paycheck, and it shook my whole world upside down. Over the following three years of working on continuing to work in this position I was able to find the “I get to” moments because I had some amazing opportunities to learn, give back, and grow myself through my career. I tried to change jobs, but it just wasn’t in my puzzle pieces to change at that moment. So, I continued to find the “I get to” teach middle schoolers life skills through understanding their paycheck stubs, understanding healthy Relationships, and finding that being in nature gives back to who I am at the core. Finding all these “I get to” moments did not come easy, but the other choice of “I have to” just wasn’t an option because I loved my job and the services of helping those in a community that I invested into. This moment of leaning into helped to develop an acknowledgement of the hard moments.
o On the flip side I have lived in some of the “I have to” in the last several years and it has taken me longer to get to the other side and goal of building the life my husband and I are working toward because I looked at it in such a have to aspect and that didn’t help me get any closer to accomplishing my goals.
o You have the ability to pick which side of this you are going to sit on rather it is an I get, or I have. What are you going to be picking?
· Topic 3: Ways to Incorporate an “I Get To” Mindset in Your Language
o This is looking at consciously choosing the words that are reflecting the gratitude and opportunities that you have instead of looking at the as obligations. Work is one of the best examples most of us can relate to of no matter what your work is looking at it as “I get to go to work” instead of “I have to go to work” is a subtle shift that will help to transform your outlook and see your daily task as a privilege rather than seeing them as burdens.
o Journaling? This can help by starting or ending your day with a gratitude journal for where you list things you are grateful for through the day. This practice is going to help set up the tone for the day you have. I’ve found it to be helpful on either end of the day because you end up looking for all the positives in your day to joint down. I personally have a journal that is only for gratification, and I number each item I list sometimes it is a few words other times it is a half of a page.
o Did you know that the people you surround yourself with matter in this area as well? Yes, those you are surrounding yourself with should look to be positive influences this can be through people, books, music, shows, or podcasts that are reinforcing the “I get to” attitude. If you have any of these that hit negatively, you might need to give these different places in your life.
o By creating this shift of looking for small victories and acknowledging the opportunities they are representing helps to shift your language and mindset. This is helping to create an overall optimistic and empowered outlook on your life! I know it isn’t always easy and isn’t always perfect, but looking through this lens will help you create an authentic life that you love to face each day. And this is important to loving the life you are creating.
o When you use the “I get to” with something like stress of how you think and act to looking for it as helpful to look at the biology of courage to help build your resilience’s. The compassionate heart comes to give you the strength and energy to give yourself a statement to trust you in the “I get to”
· Do keep in mind that you can have a maladaptive mindset that can distort information or make it difficult in managing your expectations that can lead you to some feelings in guilt, inadequacy, sadness, or anxiety which can be seen as anguish.
· Call to action: I challenge you for the next week to not use the words “I have to,” but rather to make sure you are using an “I get to” in your language to identify the opportunities you have going for you in life.
