From “I Have To” to “I Get To”: The Mindset Shift That Lights Up Your Life
We’ve all felt the inner groan of obligation—that heavy have-to that drags the body and dims the spirit. Yet, in a single breath, we can pivot into the lighter, brighter “I get to mindset.” Those two words flip duty into possibility, resentment into gratitude, inertia into an embodied yes.
Why This Shift Matters
Energy follows language. The nervous system hears have to and contracts; it hears get to and expands, flushing cells with a quiet thrill of permission.
Agency is a muscle. Reframing reminds us we’re not conscripts in our own lives; we’re artisans sculpting meaning moment by moment.
Love rides on attention. When we notice the hidden gift inside an errand, workout, or tough conversation, love flows through what once felt like chains.
Three Doorways Into the Get-To Mindset
Pause & Name the Privilege
I get to shepherd these little miracles through the morning light. Feel how the heart softens, how time slows to reveal sweetness.Flip Burden Into Service
The inbox avalanche? I get to weave clarity into chaos for people who trust me. The gym session? I get to celebrate a body that can still sweat and stretch. Weight becomes purpose.Anchor It Somatically
Inhale, lift the sternum.
Exhale with a soft ha as you say I get to…
Let the pelvis tip forward—permission in the hips.
Three breaths like this etch the new story into fascia and nervous system.
But What About Real Suffering?
Reframing is not spiritual bypass. It doesn’t erase grief or injustice; it widens the frame. Even in hardship we can say, I get to meet this moment as awake love. Sometimes that’s the only freedom available, and it’s enough to keep the soul alive.
A Seven-Day Experiment
Choose one recurring have-to—emails, dishes, physical therapy. For a week:
Name it aloud as a get-to.
Track the body’s response. Shoulders drop? Breath deepen?
Note ripple effects. Less procrastination? Lighter mood?
Small hinges swing big doors.
The Larger Invitation
Every get to is a breadcrumb back to reality loved as it is. Reclaim the mundane as sacred, and you knit heaven and earth inside your very bones.
