change one word

As adults, we spend a lot of time talking about all of the things that we have to do.

You have to wake up early for work. You have to make another sales call for your business. You have to work out today. You have to write an article. You have to make dinner for your family. You have to go to your son’s game.

Now, imagine changing just one word in the sentences above.

You don’t “have” to. You “get” to.

You get to wake up early for work. You get to make another sales call for your business. You get to cook dinner for your family. By simply changing one word, you shift the way you view each event. You transition from seeing these behaviors as burdens and turn them into opportunities.

The key point is that both versions of reality are true. You have to do those things, and you also get to do them. We can find evidence for whatever mind-set we choose.

I once heard a story about a man who uses a wheelchair. When asked if it was difficult being confined, he responded, “I’m not confined to my wheelchair—I am liberated by it. If it wasn’t for my wheelchair, I would be bed-bound and never able to leave my house.”1 This shift in perspective completely transformed how he lived each day.

I think it’s important to remind yourself that the things you do each day are not burdens, they are opportunities. So often, the things we view as work are actually the reward.

Embrace your constraints. Fall in love with boredom. Do the work.

You don’t have to. You get to.

-- James Clear / This article is an excerpt from Chapter 10 of my New York Times bestselling book Atomic Habits. Read more here. 

Every day

Handle things with gentleness, optimism

1. Every day is a blessing from God. Do not waste it. Do something positive; not just for yourself but for others, too.

2. Love is the glue that keeps a relationship together. If it is removed, the relationship starts falling apart.

3. Kindness is a gift we all possess. It becomes powerful when we use it.

4. Always handle things with gentleness. This way, fragile things like friendships won’t be damaged or broken.

5. Anger is a human reaction. It usually happens when we don’t have our way.

6. Forgiveness is a godly trait. It shows grace, mercy, and compassion.

7. We all make mistakes. This is how we learn.

8. Look ahead to life with optimism. Do not dwell in the past, but learn from it.

Clarence Chun

Kalihi

-- Star Advertiser, 12/23/18

Quotations

Provide the one word missing from the quotation. (e.g., “I came, I saw, I ____.” Answer: Conquered (Julius Caesar).)

FRESHMAN LEVEL

1. “That which does not kill us makes us _____.”

2. “It does not matter how slowly you go, so long as you do not ____.”

3. “If you’re going through ____, keep going.”

4. "Don't cry because it's over, ____ because it happened."

5. "You only live once, but if you do it ____, once is enough."

GRADUATE LEVEL

6. “The _____ life is not worth living.”

7. "When you cease to ____, you cease to live."

8. “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t ____.”

9. "No one can make you fell inferior without your ____"

10. "I find that the harder I work, the more ____ I seem to have."

PH.D. LEVEL

11. “It is really clear that the most precious resource we all have is ____.”

12. “The secret of getting ahead is getting ____.”

13. “_____ is what happens while you are busy making other plans.”

14. "Imagination is more important than _____."

15.  All our _____ can come true if we have the courage to pursue them."

-- Star Advertiser, August 18, 2018

sit still for a moment

There’s a practice so simple that many people will discount it as not worthy of trying.

They’ll miss out on the transformative power of that very simplicity.

The practice is this: Sit still for a moment, and just feel what it feels like to be alive. Then relax into that feeling.

Yes, I know, sitting still for a moment isn’t something we want to do right now. We got things to do, man! But just try it, for a minute. Sit still and feel what it feels like to be alive, for you, right this moment. There’s never been another moment like this particular one, and never will be again.