“I have to, no I want to.”

As someone that is chronically against doing things I am “supposed” to do I have found changing the statement from “I have to do…” to “I want to do…” has made the accomplishment of certain tasks and obligations tolerable if not even enjoyable.

Who likes doing what they are told or what is required of us? No one. If you said you do…you are either lying or just crazy! I am just kidding…or am I?

It is in our nature as humans to want to do what we want and to not want to do what other’s want or what is demanded of us. So, when society has set up a system of requirements for us such as going to work or doing the dishes or washing our clothes or cleaning our living spaces we, I know I, tend to not do those things or not want to do those things simply out of spite or rebellion. Like a little kid that tells their parents “no” right after a request was made.

I have learned that if I intentionally change the wording from the negative to the positive that it can make my mind actually want to do those tasks that before I had been avoiding. Like instead of, “I have to do the dishes,” I change the statement to, “I want to do the dishes.”

I have found that changing the statement from, “I have to, ” to “I get to,” did not have the same effect. Saying, “I get to do my laundry,” is not a motivating statement for me because I associate the word “get” with a reward and no matter what you say I can not see doing laundry or the dishes as a reward!

Changing the word, “have” to “want” has made doing the harder tasks a whole lot easier. Does it work all the time? No. I am still a master procrastinator!

It has helped with the issue of sleep. Instead of saying “I have to go to sleep” I say, “I want to go to sleep” and in doing so I see going to sleep as a privilege instead of a punishment. Okay, I didn’t see sleep as a punishment but I definitely saw it as an annoying requirement that kept me from enjoying my free time. But now I see it as it should be seen, as a reward for getting through the day!

Anyway, I think my point is that you can change the way you think about pretty much anything by changing something so seemingly insignificant, something as small as ONE word. I have talked about how our minds are so powerful and this is just one more example as to why that is so true. I can change my whole view or feeling of something in time by changing one word.