How to do exactly what you want to do with one simple change

This has been one of the most useful mindset changes I have ever made and it has changed the way I think about everything I do!

There are so many choices that we make, every single day, whether they are big or small that have ultimately brought us to where we are right now. There have been millions of choices that have brought you to this moment. A lot of the time, it seems like life just happens to us. How often do people say ‘where did today go...’ or ‘this week has just flown…’ or ‘how is it Christmas already?’

To live your best life requires a shift in perspective to take back control of your life and allow you to create happiness where it’s always had the potential to be.

Remove these phrases from your vocabulary

There are three phrases that we use a lot! It's amazing how unaware we are of the hold they have over us. We have been off-handing our choices to a force outside ourselves instead of using the power we have in our lives. Remove these phrases from your internal dialogue to unlock the ability to do exactly what you want to do!

I should...

I need to...

I have to...

I had heard this before, but I had never really tried to put it into practice. It takes time to make a shift like this happen. At first, you'll need to catch yourself after you hear yourself saying one of these phrases.

Replace these with new phrases

Each time you catch yourself saying one of the limiting phrases, you can correct the thought by rephrasing the sentence using one of these phrases:

I want to...

I choose to...

I get to...

This slight shift in mindset, replacing one word in a sentence, and you change your entire outlook on life. I am no longer forced to do things I don't want to do. I have taken back control over my choices and it feels freeing!

It may sound silly to some people, they might say you can't just say you want to do something and then you miraculously want to do it. That isn't the trick here. The trick is to ask yourself why do you want to do this?

Real-world examples

Here are some examples of automatic thoughts I’ve had recently, and what I transformed them into:

Before - I have to do my taxes...

After - I want to do my taxes because it’s going to make me feel organised and on top of things if I get them ticked off my list and I also want to avoid a fine by submitting them on time.

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Before - I should really exercise today...

After - I choose to exercise today because I always feel so energised and motivated after a workout and I notice my mood is always improved in the afternoons if I exercise in the morning.

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Before - I need to start getting up early...

After - I get to wake up early on my days off and I feel grateful because I have those extra hours in the morning all to myself where I can get things ticked off, get organised, clean my space, or work on my side projects and hobbies.