Do you get caught up in the shoulds of life? I should be working out. I should be eating healthy. I should be happy about making cookies for a bake sale. I should be doing this or doing that. There’s just something about that word should that obligates us to do something or feel something.
Usually it’s about something that we aren’t already doing or feeling. With that obligation often comes guilt if we don’t do whatever it is that we should be doing. Obligations are horrible things even though we all have them. They can drag you down at times and make you feel overwhelmed.
Trust me on this one. I should be doing my To Do List but sometimes I just can’t even face it. 😉 Here’s a different way of looking at things. Instead of using the word “should”, try replacing it with the words “get to.” I get to work out. I get to eat healthy. I get to make the cookies for a bake sale. I get to go to work so I can pay my bills.
Obligations are something that we have no choice in. Opportunity is something we can take advantage of or not. It puts the choice squarely in our hands and gives us the power to do it or not do it. When we are in control of our destiny, life suddenly becomes full of possibilities.
This also applies to others too. The Kid should be doing her chores. My co-worker should be doing things this way. Should implies that we expect others to act in a certain way. When we have expectations, we are almost always let down. They’re in control of their own choices too. They get to do things whether we think they should or not.
Drop the shoulds from your vocabulary and give it a try. I challenge you to see what happens.
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