Change Your Life With One Word

Hey, hey! I see you are here today wondering how you can change your life in just one word. You’re probably also wondering if that is really possible? Well, it is. Anything is possible, that is my mojo-- possibility. Here’s the thing, there are tons, TONS of tools out there that will really accelerate changes in your life. Tons of things to help you uplevel into a new energy of being.

This is one of the simplest tools. It takes a little mindfulness and a little practice but is extremely simple and effective.

Words are some of the most powerful tools we have available to us. Your words are power. Your words shape and create the world around you all the time. There’s the inner words and the outer words. Let’s start with those inner words. When you consider thoughts in your head or the little voice that guides you, it is words. Well, sometimes, I have picture thoughts, but often there are words. They may be words of encouragement, judgement, joy, frustration, and tons more. These inner words surround my thoughts are reactions to my own perception of my environment and experiences. This is the inner chatter that is constantly going on in your mind. When you become more mindful of that inner chatter two things happen: 1. You start noticing what that inner chatter is saying and 2. You get more control of what that inner chatter is saying by redirecting and rewriting it.

That being said, what is outer chatter? Outer chatter is the experiences and feedback we receive as well as the words we speak. So, you know how you might jokingly say something negative about yourself such as “I’m such a butterfingers.”? Well, when you say that, you are telling your environment AND your mind that you are a butterfingers. What happens? You become more of a butterfingers. I know, I hear you, you only mean that as a joke, but your mind does not pick up on that. Your mind hears ‘I am a butterfingers,’ and then looks for ways to prove you right so it can show you that you are a butterfingers. I am guessing, you would like to stop being a butterfingers in your life.

Stop saying the things that you would rather not be and start saying the things you would like to be.

But I digress, that is not at all the word I wanted to tell you about--- however, that is another quick change you should start today.

Alright, so here’s the thing, consider that list of things you have written down or in your head. Maybe you have a schedule in your calendar. Consider how you tell yourself (and others) your to do list or things that are on that list- such as ‘I have to get groceries today’ or ‘I have to pay my bills today’ or ‘I have to drive an hour to the airport because I have a flight I have to catch.’

Do you absolutely, 100%, HAVE to do those things, or is there really a choice?

You get to choose it. You are choosing to get the groceries. Why are you choosing to get groceries? Because if you do not get the groceries, you will not have the food you desire in your house, but do you HAVE to get groceries or do you GET to get the groceries? This is the same as ‘I have to catch a flight.’ Do you HAVE to catch that flight or do you GET to catch that flight because you know the outcome of not catching a flight is really something you do not desire? You could choose to not catch the flight. You might not be able to get to that place you were planning on going, but there is still the option to miss the flight. You really do not have to catch it. You GET to catch the flight.

I learned this awhile back, and it took me a bit to really resonate with it because it felt so unusual to me. It felt kind of corny saying “I get to” rather than “I have to” or “I need to”. It felt really out of place. Now it lights me up when I hear other people say “I get to ___” because I know they are empowered in choosing what they do in their lives. I also like to think of it as the get to club. Yet, when you start using the phrase ‘I get to’ rather than ‘I have to,’ you begin shifting how you are approaching your life. You begin to see a lot more options in your life and open doors for opportunities. Every time you tell yourself that you HAVE to do something, you are shutting down tons of possibilities from entering your life. Granted, you may see yourself as having to do something because you do not like the outcome of if you did not do it, but it is still a choice. Every time you choose to tell yourself that you GET to do something, well, it almost sounds like a luxury, but it also creates this sense of empowerment within yourself.

That, my friend, is a BIG deal.

Alright, now you know that you get to do things rather than you have to do things, so how to you make the switch from the inner and outer voice saying you have to do something? Start paying attention to how you talk about your list is a great step. Your to-do list is one of those things that you can be mindful about since you recognize when you start telling people what all you GET to do today. Next time you start telling someone what it is you have planned on your to-do list to do, tell them you get to do it. You get to do dishes. You get to get gas. You get to go shop for a new paddle board. You get to deposit your paycheck. You get to pick up the kids from school. You get to take charge in your life. It may seem kind of weird at first, but so was riding a bike—and that’s stuck with you for life. Snap on your 'get to' training wheels and see where it takes you. I guarantee you will begin to see things in a whole new perspective. Plus, you get to be a part of the super cool GET TO club.

Much Love