"Have to" vs. "Choose to"

Go ahead and rattle off the list of things you "have to" do. After you are done, it is a no-brainer that you would feel sapped of energy and the sky has just turned grey.

Next up, make a list of things that you would "want to" or "like to" do. Voila, the sun is out now and you are raring to head to the beach!

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at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Consider turning your "have to" into "want to" or "like to". If that is too difficult, why not at least convert the "have to" into "choose to" just to make it more palatable.

Six months ago, Gordon bought his Black Beauty of a Mustang and he would painstakingly groom her every Saturday morning without fail because he likes to do so. By the by, he got busier in life but would still keep at it albeit with a "choose to" attitude.

As things got even busier for Gordon, he looked up the internet and connected with a great chap, Champion, who is a professional car groomer on house calls. Champion would have you know that he is also professional barber and dog groomer, as well. His penchant for keeping things spick and span has carved out a neat niche for Champion to make a pretty decent living where every day is another good day to do what he enjoys without breaking any sweat. It's pure play without toil. "Have to" does not exist in his vocabulary for work or chores.

Then, there is Slow Guy who drags his feet every morning from Monday to Saturday to his workplace at the car wash of a petrol station. Yes, you guess right. From morning till evening in-between work, Slow would bemoan that he has to work just so that he can put food into his mouth and pay his rent. He loathes his work and exists only on survival mode; no passion, no drive in his daily driveway.

Imagine what if you "choose to" take out the garbage so that you can have a home and not just because you have to; cook dinner so that your family can have home-cooked meals; learn a new skills so that your market value will increase; wash cars so clean that your customers would be more than satisfied (and earn their "excellent" ratings with prospect for getting noticed by the management); control your tongue even when the customer is acting up; greet your guests by name even though it's not in the motel's manual; love your partner unconditionally; listen to another person with genuine interest; and so forth. 

When you "choose to" do something, it is no longer a chore or an obligation. Did you know that you have the power, all the power, to choose your attitude? Your circumstances is a given, but your attitude is all in your mind and you have the right to choose. Choose wisely, for a happy life!

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