Happy Sunday Everyone:
New advice, new thoughts, new ideas, as it relates to big life lessons aren’t really new, we just might hear them for the first time when it matters to us. Without it mattering to us, its just a cliché, a bumper stick, a pep talk…perhaps a once over on a Sunday Thoughts.
In three different conversations last week I heard the words “I get to vs. I have to”. I’ve heard this phrase at least 50 times in my life but only in the sense of what I described above, a bumper sticker. Friday morning I found myself journaling on “get to vs. have to”, and what if I actually committed my day to having this mindset. I can tell you Friday was as productive of a day as I’ve had in a while and more importantly, as fulfilling as any work day I can remember (Kim will verify as I was beaming when I talked to her after). Some examples on Friday:
1. I don’t have to do my morning routine, I get to do my morning routine.
2. I don’t have to have a team meeting, I get to have a team meeting.
3. I don’t have to lock loans for clients who just found out their offer was accepted, I get to lock loans for clients who just found out their offer was accepted.
4. I don’t have to have pre-approval calls with clients wanting to buy a home, I get to have pre-approval calls with clients wanting to buy a home.
5. I don’t have to talk to talk to coaching students, I get to talk to coaching students.
6. I don’t have to solve problems, I get to solve problems.
7. I don’t have to return calls, I get to return calls.
8. I don’t have to be on zoom calls w/ people referred to me, I get to be on zoom calls with people referred to me.
9. I don’t have to have a weekly call with my CFO, I get to have a weekly call with my CFO.
10. I don’t have to go for a run after work, I get to go for a run after work (which then lead to more clarity on this topic and Sunday Thoughts).
My calendar was going to have what’s above on it one way or the other. If you asked my team if I had an extra pep in my step, they’d say yes. Why did two of my lock calls invite me to their home when we close? Why did the pre-approvals seem to have more gratitude and appreciation for our time together? Why were responses to my emails met with more exclamation points and smiley faces? Why did every zoom calls end with the potential client moving forward to the next step as of this morning? I’m certain its because I brought a “I get to vs. I have to” mindset to every activity I had. My voice was different, my interest in them was different, my passion for what I do was different, my gratitude for everyone I interacted with was obvious, they knew it and felt it.
“I get to” is gratitude for the opportunity, “I have to” is an obligatory chore w/ some level of resentment for “having” to do it. I’m sitting here trying to force myself to have the feeling of both resentment and gratitude at the same time and I’m fairly certain its an impossible exercise, try it for yourself.
My hope is this will not be a bumper sticker Sunday thoughts for you. Try it for one day with intentionality and see what the internal/external results are. My hope and need for myself Is for this exercise to stick, it’s really important and really simple.
Enjoy the rest of you Sunday and all the things you GET to do.