“On those mornings when you struggle with getting up, keep this thought in mind - I am awakening to the work of a human being. Why then am I annoyed that I am going to do what I’m made for, the very things for which I was put into this world?” ~ Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 5.1
I believe in this passage 2000 years ago, Marcus Aurelius is saying that when you look at every situation in your life as, “I get to…” instead of “I have to…” you are filled with purpose and gratitude. Marcus Aurelius was the Emperor of Rome. He could have stayed in bed, but he knew that his life mattered and he got to help make the world a better place.
Try today to change your “have to’s” into “get to’s”. I get to exercise, I get to make phone calls today, I get to bring the kids to camp, I get to do the laundry, I get to make a presentation, I get to make dinner, I get to put the kids to bed. When you change the word to “get”, you feel a sense of appreciation and gratitude instead of feeling that it is a chore or a punishment. It also opens your heart to all the blessings in your life.
