A “Get To” Perspective

You know those times in life when you have to do something you really don’t want to?  Maybe it’s some seemingly irrelevant analysis in excel, or a 5 hour drive with someone you’re not super fond of.

We all have lots of things in our lives that aren’t very fun.  And, in entrepreneurship, that is probably even more true.  Many times founders are the ones doing the grunt work up until the company hits a certain point.  This could mean doing data entry for a lead gen project, or washing the dishes someone left in the sink.  The glamorous lives of startups!

In fact, a lot of a founder’s day is stuff they have to do.  Write an eBook, send a newsletter, do a demo, follow up with all the people you met at the event last night, check in on an existing customer…the list goes on and on.  And, honestly, sometimes it’s super overwhelming.  Sometimes you’re thinking to yourself “there are so many things I HAVE TO DO!”

A “Get to” Attitude

If I was smart, the title of this article would be “the one change that will make you so much happier at work.”  I really think with a slight change in perception, things get a bit more fun and exciting.

Instead of a “I have to do this” mentality, you should be adopting an “I get to” do this attitude!  You don’t HAVE to do that excel analysis, you GET to do it and are now more facile with excel, gained insights into whether or not it’s worth it to do the analysis, got to challenge yourself a bit (even if it’s just to see how fast you can do it), etc.

Adopting a grateful mindset is a proven way to be more happy.  If you don’t think this is true, I challenge you to spend 2 full minutes right now thinking about the things you are grateful for and really think about them.  Even if it’s as simple as “I’m so grateful for a warm cup of coffee” or “I love how this pair of sweatpants feels” it will make you happier almost instantly.

The Sports Analogy

I remember watching an interview with Charlie Rose and Gary Player a while back.  Gary is an incredible golfer and Charlie asked him why he was so good.  Gary responded that he enjoys the challenge of being in a bad situation.

This means that when Gary hits his ball into a bunker, his attitude is not “damnit, now I have to figure out how to get this ball out of the bunker and not overshoot the green or else I’m going to lose this tournament!”  No, his attitude is something more like “Ok, now I get to challenge myself.  I get to figure out this problem, and get better at figuring out these sorts of problems from here on out.”

Startup Life

Obviously, this “get to” attitude is tough to internalize.  This is especially true if you’re working 100 hours a week as a resident, or an ibanker, or whatever.  It’s also tough as an entrepreneur who’s focused so closely on building a company while not straying too close to the sun.

However, I think it’s an awesome way to get over the nature of work – which is that a lot of it kind of sucks and no one wants to really do the hard things.  But that right there is a reason to do them – you’re doing the things no one else wants to do, and therefore are gaining an advantage on your competition.  Or, maybe your rational is that you get to provide for your family, or get to gain a new skill, or get to live in the first world where we have so many advantages.

Whatever you do with your days – whether it’s golf or entrepreneurship – try out a “get to” attitude, especially when you find yourself overwhelmed with what you have to do.  I hope it brings you more satisfaction and happiness in whatever it is you’re pursuing.

As a disclaimer, someone in my travels framed this “get to” attitude for me – it’s how they try to live their life.  I totally forget who and in what context, but they deserve any credit for this idea which has stayed in my brain ever since.

8,466 Replies to “A “Get To” Perspective”

  1. Terrific article! That is the type of information that are meant to
    be shared around the internet. Disgrace on the seek engines for now not positioning this put up higher!
    Come on over and consult with my web site .
    Thank you =)

  2. You’re so awesome! I do not suppose I’ve truly read anything like this before.
    So good to discover another person with a few unique thoughts
    on this subject matter. Seriously.. many thanks for
    starting this up. This site is something that is required on the web, someone
    with a bit of originality!

  3. Hi it’s me, I am also visiting this site regularly, this web site is in fact pleasant and the people are actually sharing pleasant thoughts.

  4. Woah! I’m really loving the template/theme of this blog.
    It’s simple, yet effective. A lot of times it’s difficult to get that “perfect balance” between superb usability and visual
    appeal. I must say that you’ve done a very good job with
    this. In addition, the blog loads extremely quick for me on Chrome.
    Exceptional Blog!

  5. Hey there are using WordPress for your blog platform?
    I’m new to the blog world but I’m trying to get started and set up my own.
    Do you require any coding expertise to make your own blog? Any
    help would be really appreciated!

  6. fantastic points altogether, you just received
    a new reader. What may you suggest in regards to your put up that you made a
    few days ago? Any positive?

  7. Hi! This post could not be written any better! Reading through this
    post reminds me of my previous room mate! He always kept chatting about
    this. I will forward this article to him. Pretty sure he will have
    a good read. Many thanks for sharing!

  8. Unquestionably believe that which you stated. Your favorite
    justification appeared to be on the internet the simplest thing to be aware of.
    I say to you, I definitely get annoyed while people think about worries
    that they just don’t know about. You managed to hit the nail upon the top and also defined out the whole thing without having side effect , people could take a
    signal. Will likely be back to get more. Thanks

  9. My partner and I stumbled over here coming from a different website and thought
    I may as well check things out. I like what I see so now i am following you.
    Look forward to finding out about your web page again.

  10. Does your website have a contact page? I’m
    having a tough time locating it but, I’d like to shoot you an e-mail.
    I’ve got some creative ideas for your blog you might be interested in hearing.

    Either way, great website and I look forward
    to seeing it grow over time.

  11. I am not sure where you’re getting your information,
    but good topic. I needs to spend some time learning
    much more or understanding more. Thanks for excellent information I
    was looking for this info for my mission.

  12. Unquestionably believe that that you stated. Your favorite justification seemed to be on the net the simplest thing to keep in mind of.
    I say to you, I certainly get annoyed at the same time as other folks think
    about issues that they plainly don’t know
    about. You managed to hit the nail upon the top and outlined
    out the entire thing with no need side effect , other people
    could take a signal. Will likely be back to get more.
    Thank you

  13. Hi there to every body, it’s my first pay a visit of this webpage; this webpage includes amazing and genuinely
    excellent information designed for readers.

  14. Appreciating the dedication you put into your blog and in depth information you offer.
    It’s awesome to come across a blog every once in a while that isn’t the same unwanted
    rehashed information. Great read! I’ve bookmarked your
    site and I’m including your RSS feeds to my Google account.

  15. I am not sure where you are getting your information, but good topic.
    I needs to spend some time learning much more or understanding more.
    Thanks for fantastic info I was looking for this info for my mission.

  16. Amazing things here. I’m very satisfied to see your article.
    Thanks so much and I’m taking a look ahead to touch you. Will you kindly drop me
    a mail?

  17. I’m really enjoying the design and layout of your site.
    It’s a very easy on the eyes which makes it much more pleasant for me to
    come here and visit more often. Did you hire out a developer to create your theme?
    Fantastic work!

  18. If you want to increase your knowledge simply keep visiting this website and be updated with the newest information posted here.

  19. Wonderful beat ! I wish to apprentice at the same time as
    you amend your site, how could i subscribe for
    a weblog web site? The account helped me a applicable deal.
    I had been tiny bit familiar of this your broadcast provided brilliant
    clear concept

  20. Dеfinitely believe that which you stated. Your favorite reaѕon seemed to bee on the
    web thee simplest thing to be aware of. I say too
    you, I definitely get irked while people think about worries that they just don’t know about.
    Υou managed to hit the nail upon the top as well
    as ԁefined out the whole thing wuthout having side effect , people could take a signaⅼ.

    Will probably bee back to get more. Thanks

    Feel frеe tt᧐ visit myy page – situs slot online baru

  21. Good day! I could have sworn I’ve been to this blog before
    but after reading through some of the post I realized it’s new to me.
    Anyhow, I’m definitely happy I found it and I’ll be book-marking and checking
    back frequently!

  22. Thank you a bunch for sharing this with all people you actually know
    what you’re speaking approximately! Bookmarked. Please additionally talk
    over with my web site =). We could have a link trade arrangement between us

  23. This is the right blog for anyone who hopes to find out about this topic.
    You understand so much its almost tough to argue with
    you (not that I personally would want to…HaHa).
    You certainly put a brand new spin on a topic that’s
    been written about for a long time. Excellent stuff, just excellent!

  24. Hi, Neat post. There is a problem with your web site in web explorer, might test this?
    IE still is the market chief and a good section of people will leave out your wonderful writing because of this problem.

  25. I’ve been browsing online more than 3 hours today, yet I
    never found any interesting article like yours. It’s pretty worth enough for me.
    Personally, if all webmasters and bloggers made good
    content as you did, the net will be much more useful than ever before.

  26. Hey! Do you know if they make any plugins to assist with SEO?
    I’m trying to get my blog to rank for some targeted keywords but I’m not seeing very good
    results. If you know of any please share. Thanks!

  27. My coder is trying to convince me to move to .net from PHP.

    I have always disliked the idea because of the costs. But he’s tryiong none the less.
    I’ve been using WordPress on several websites for about a year
    and am concerned about switching to another platform. I have heard great things about blogengine.net.
    Is there a way I can import all my wordpress posts into
    it? Any help would be really appreciated!

  28. Hey there! I know this is somewhat off topic but I was wondering which blog platform are you using for this website?
    I’m getting fed up of WordPress because I’ve had
    problems with hackers and I’m looking at alternatives for another
    platform. I would be awesome if you could point me in the direction of a good platform.

  29. Hi there, this weekend is fastidious designed for me, for the
    reason that this moment i am reading this wonderful educational article here at my residence.

  30. Great post. I was checking continuously this weblog and I am inspired!

    Very useful info particularly the ultimate section :
    ) I take care of such info a lot. I was looking for this certain information for a long time.
    Thank you and good luck.

  31. I do not even know how I stopped up here, however I thought this
    put up was great. I don’t understand who you might be however certainly you’re going to a well-known blogger for those who are not already.
    Cheers!

  32. This is really attention-grabbing, You’re an excessively
    skilled blogger. I have joined your rss feed and look ahead to in the hunt for extra of
    your great post. Also, I have shared your site in my social networks

Comments are closed.