"Get-To" vs. "Have-To" Attitude

So many times we get stuck in life because we have a terrible attitude. For example, when I was in college, I had terrible grades. School felt like a chore. When I had to make a choice between doing something fun and studying, it was either "I have to study, but I'll just pull an all-nighter" or "Can't go because I have to study"....mostly the former.

My grades stayed the same until I realized that school is teaching me things I need and that I should want to learn. I eventually moved from a have-to to a get-to attitude. "I can't go tonight because I get to study about physics and learn about how the Universe works" or "I get to learn about the tensile strength of different types of steel before tomorrow--so, no, I can't go out with you."

I got better at just doing life after I made this switch. And life got a lot more interesting. Here are some more examples of "get-to" possibilities:

"I get to go to work today."
"I get to do something hard today."
"I get to go for a 5-mile run."
"I get to buy reading glasses because my eyes are getting old."
"I get to get old."
"I get to eat right today."
"I get to go to church."
"I get to honor God."
"I get to treat right the person who mis-treated me."
"I get to get up early."
"I get to mow the lawn."
"I get to have a sunburn."
"I get to face a fear."
"I get to pay bills."
"I get to have cancer."
"I get to show grace in a tough situation."
"I get to bungie jump."
"I get to learn through a really bad breakup."

You can go all day long. And some may seem extreme. But it changes everything. Personally, I appreciate every little part of life a lot more.