Change One Word to Increase Your Gratitude

What if I told you that changing one word consistently in your thoughts and speech could increase your levels of gratitude and happiness? Seem too good to be true? Give it a try.

Replace “have to” with “get to.” Every time you are thinking about all the things you “have to” do, consciously change it to what you GET to do. Let’s look at some examples that I’ve been trying in my own life.

Morning blues?

“I have to wake up and go to work.” Ah yes, getting out of bed in the morning. Not easy for anyone, especially when you are woken up at least once during the night to feed your precious baby. But what if we swapped out that one word?

“I GET to wake up and go to work.” Waking up every day is a gift. So often I forget that. And going to work? Perhaps your commute is just down the hallway, or maybe it’s an hour plus each way in rush hour traffic. Either way, going to work is a blessing and it’s easy to get wrapped up in the stress surrounding it rather than remembering that we GET to work (hopefully doing something we like, or even love!)

Laundry happens- to everyone

Unless you are a nudist, I assume you wear clothing, and that clothing gets dirty. So you’ve probably uttered the phrase, “I have to do laundry.” You can easily insert the mundane chore of your choice instead. Going to the grocery store, taking out the trash, or my personal favorite, cleaning the bathroom.

But let’s change that one word again and see how our perspective shifts. “I GET to do the laundry today.” We have clothing to wear, and seasonally appropriate clothing at that! What a gift. I am able to clothe myself, my husband, and and my children. That is a blessing.

“I GET to go to the grocery store.” I am blessed to live in an area with many choices of grocery stores and farmers markets where we can get healthy food to nourish our bodies.

“I GET to take out the trash.” This implies that you live in an area with waste disposal and don’t have to throw your trash out into the street. That is certainly a gift, and one I don’t think about often.

“I GET to clean the bathroom.” Ok, I know what you’re thinking. How am I supposed to be grateful about cleaning the bathroom? I always dread cleaning it, but after I do I feel so much better, so I’m attempting to think about this chore in a more positive light. Besides this, taking showers is one of my favorite activities and one of the few times I’m actually by myself the whole day. And how can you take a relaxing shower when everything is covered in gunk?

Simple by Emmy Challenge

You get the idea! So let’s put it into practice. I challenge you to try this simple swap out for seven days and leave a comment as to how it’s changed your perspective.