I get to vs. I have to
Hi there!
I hope you are having a good week!
I am currently on a family holiday in Longleat Forest in the UK together with my husband’s family.
As an entrepreneur, I’ve realised you have a lot of time because you are not working a 9-5 job but that also means I’m never completely switched off.
There is always something to do – a client proposal, developing the content for our membership platform, social media, admin (so much of it!!) and of course writing this newsletter (my favourite ).
Sometimes I catch myself saying “I have to...take a call/do some work/run a workshop” and the immediate feeling I experience after that is usually a negative one. Like a “urgh, I don’t want to do that! I’d rather play with the kids/chill out/go out!”
The problem with this is that it affects how I show up – and it is NOT how I want to show up for my clients or work because that is not the best version of myself.
Do you ever feel like this?
If so, I have something that might be helpful.
I have started to reframe my narrative. Instead of saying “I have to...”, I reframe it to “I get to...”
It looks something like this:
“I have to work whilst on holiday” ➡️ “I GET to work whilst on a 6-week holiday with my family!”
“I have to take this call” ➡️ “I GET to take this call even whilst I’m on the road”
It can be used for anything!
“I have to take the bus” ➡️ “I GET to take the bus because I am healthy and fit”
“I have to get ready” ➡️ “I GET to choose my outfit for today and go out feeling good in it”
It’s such a simple yet powerful way to increase gratitude, elevate our feelings about the present, and reframe how we move through our days.
Doing this has changed my perspective during that moment and how I feel about these tasks. This, in turn, has had an impact on how I show up and what impact I make.
Michelle Obama recently said “Life is practice. Practice who you want to be every single day”.
So start taking control of what you say to yourself and see how it makes you feel and what changes for you.
What are some narratives you can start changing today? Reply to this email and let me know, I’d love to hear them!
Have a great weekend,
p.s. If you are enjoying this newsletter, please help me spread the word by forwarding this link to your friends who might also enjoy it too. Thank you
Here’s a pic of me and my father-in-law working from our forest cabin whilst everyone else was on a pony ride. We met up afterwards and all went for a swim 😊
