Change Your Attitude to Feel Gratitude

We returned from a family vacation earlier this week and I’ve been thinking about gratitude a lot.  As in, how grateful I am to be able to take a trip to sunny southern California in the dead of winter and disconnect from work to focus on quality family time. I also got to thinking that it shouldn’t take a cross-country trip for me to feel gratitude for my life.

Life moves so fast and we are always so busy that it’s easy to overlook the small things we take for granted. This trip made me realize that I need to focus on gratitude daily because I don’t do it enough otherwise. The easiest way I can think to do this is to ditch the “I have to” mentality for the “I get to” mentality. “Getting” to do something sounds a whole lot better than “having” to do something.

So instead of thinking, “Ugh, I have to get up at 5 a.m. tomorrow if I want to fit in a workout,” I’ll think, “I get to wake up early to do something for myself before the hectic day begins.”  Or, instead of “I have to fight with a toddler to brush his teeth before school,” it’s “I get to help my son get ready for school because I’m lucky to work remotely.” Even still, “I have to get through a long to-do list at work today” should be “I get to accomplish a lot today and the day will go quickly.” Such a slight change in attitude goes a long way towards feeling gratitude.

I realized it’s important to focus on gratitude because otherwise, what’s the point of it all? I can’t wait for a family vacation once or twice a year to feel grateful. That’s ridiculous for a whole lot of reasons. And I can’t think of my life as a big to-do list that I “have to” get through. Instead, it’s about finding the joy in the small moments that help get us through the stressful moments.

Not to mention, when you are grateful for that early workout, time with your child, or busy workday, you bring a different energy to those tasks. You are focused, upbeat, and present. And that wears off on those around you, especially that toddler who can sense whether your energy is negative or positive. I’ll also bet that influences the quality of your work product when that’s the task at hand you “get” to do versus “have” to do.  

For the record, there are some things you simply can’t get around, like “I have to get a root canal tomorrow.”  That plain stinks. But I bet that for many of the '“have to’s,” you’ll “get to” feel gratitude, and in turn, do great and be great.

So what’s your “I get to” today?