Posted on by Phil

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”

  2. Good day very nice blog!! Guy .. Excellent .. Amazing ..
    I will bookmark your site and take the feeds additionally?
    I am glad to search out so many helpful information right here in the put
    up, we’d like work out extra techniques on this regard, thanks for sharing.

    . . . . .

  3. I’m now not certain where you are getting your info, but good topic.
    I needs to spend some time finding out much more
    or working out more. Thanks for great info
    I used to be looking for this info for my mission.

  4. Definitely believe that that you stated. Your favorite reason seemed to be at
    the net the simplest factor to consider of. I say to you, I certainly get annoyed while other 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 entire thing without having side effect , people can take a signal.
    Will likely be back to get more. Thanks

  5. Just desire to say your article is as astounding. The
    clarity in your post is just spectacular and i could assume you’re an expert on this subject.
    Well with your permission allow me to grab your RSS
    feed to keep up to date with forthcoming post. Thanks a million and please continue the rewarding work.

  6. Superb blog! Do you have any tips and hints for aspiring
    writers? I’m planning to start my own site soon but I’m a little lost on everything.
    Would you advise starting with a free platform like WordPress or go for a paid option? There
    are so many choices out there that I’m completely overwhelmed ..
    Any tips? Thanks a lot!

  7. I’ve been exploring for a little for any high quality articles or weblog posts in this sort of area .
    Exploring in Yahoo I finally stumbled upon this
    website. Studying this information So i’m satisfied to exhibit that
    I have an incredibly just right uncanny feeling I discovered exactly what I needed.

    I most no doubt will make sure to do not forget this website and
    give it a look regularly.

  9. After looking over a handful of the articles on your site, I honestly appreciate
    your technique of blogging. I saved as a favorite it to my bookmark webpage list and will be
    checking back in the near future. Please check out my web site as well and let me know your
    opinion.

  10. Hello! This is my first visit to your blog! We are a collection of volunteers and starting a new initiative in a
    community in the same niche. Your blog provided us beneficial information to work on. You
    have done a extraordinary job!

  12. I got this web page from my buddy who shared with me about this site and at
    the moment this time I am visiting this web site and reading very informative articles or reviews at this place.

  13. hello there and thank you for your info – I’ve certainly picked up something new from right here.
    I did however expertise a few technical issues using this web site, since I experienced to reload the web site many times previous to I
    could get it to load properly. I had been wondering if your hosting is OK?
    Not that I’m complaining, but sluggish loading instances times will very frequently affect your placement in google and could damage your high
    quality score if ads and marketing with Adwords. Well I’m adding
    this RSS to my email and could look out for much more of your respective
    interesting content. Ensure that you update this again very soon.

  14. Wow, fantastic blog layout! How lengthy have you been running a blog
    for? you made blogging look easy. The entire glance of your website is excellent,
    let alone the content!

  16. Hello, I think your website might be having browser compatibility issues.
    When I look at your blog in Safari, it looks fine but when opening in Internet Explorer, it has some overlapping.
    I just wanted to give you a quick heads up! Other then that,
    great blog!

  17. Awesome blog! Do you have any tips and hints for aspiring
    writers? I’m planning to start my own blog soon but I’m a
    little lost on everything. Would you recommend starting with a free platform like WordPress or go for
    a paid option? There are so many choices out there that I’m completely confused ..
    Any suggestions? Cheers!

  18. Hello, i believe that i noticed you visited my site thus i came to
    go back the prefer?.I’m trying to find things to enhance my
    website!I assume its good enough to make use of some of your ideas!!

  19. Fantastic site. Plenty of helpful information here.
    I am sending it to some pals ans also sharing in delicious.
    And naturally, thanks for your effort!

  21. Hello there, I found your site by means of Google whilst searching for a comparable matter,
    your web site got here up, it looks great. I’ve bookmarked it in my google bookmarks.

    Hi there, just became aware of your weblog through Google, and found that
    it is truly informative. I’m gonna watch out for brussels.
    I will be grateful if you happen to continue this in future.
    Lots of people will probably be benefited from your writing.

    Cheers!

  22. After checking out a number of the articles on your web
    site, I seriously appreciate your technique of writing a blog.

    I saved it to my bookmark website list and will be checking back
    in the near future. Please check out my web site as well and let me know your opinion.

  24. It’s a shame you don’t have a donate button! I’d without a doubt donate to this excellent blog!
    I suppose for now i’ll settle for bookmarking and adding your RSS feed
    to my Google account. I look forward to brand new updates and will share this blog with my Facebook group.

    Chat soon!

  31. With havin so much content do you ever run into any problems of plagorism
    or copyright infringement? My website has a lot of unique
    content I’ve either created myself or outsourced but
    it looks like a lot of it is popping it up all over the web without my agreement.
    Do you know any methods to help protect against content from being stolen? I’d
    truly appreciate it.

  34. Nice post. I learn something totally new and challenging
    on sites I stumbleupon everyday. It will always be exciting to read through content from other authors and practice something from their web sites.

  36. Nice post. I learn something totally new and
    challenging on sites I stumbleupon every day. It will always
    be helpful to read content from other authors and use something
    from their web sites.

  38. Nice post. I used to be checking continuously
    this blog and I am impressed! Very helpful info particularly the last part 🙂 I take care of such info a lot.
    I was seeking this particular information for a long time. Thank you
    and best of luck.

  39. Awesome site you have here but I was wanting to know if you knew of any community forums that
    cover the same topics talked about in this article?
    I’d really love to be a part of community where I can get feedback from other knowledgeable people that share the same interest.
    If you have any suggestions, please let me know.
    Kudos!

  42. Howdy! Do you know if they make any plugins to protect against hackers?
    I’m kinda paranoid about losing everything I’ve worked hard on. Any suggestions?

  46. Hello, i feel that i saw you visited my blog thus i got here to return the choose?.I’m trying to in finding things to
    improve my website!I assume its good enough to use a few
    of your ideas!!

  48. Hi my loved one! I wish to say that this post is awesome,
    nice written and come with approximately all significant infos.
    I’d like to look more posts like this .

  49. You can definitely see your expertise in the article
    you write. The world hopes for more passionate writers such
    as you who aren’t afraid to mention how they believe.
    All the time follow your heart.

  50. My brother suggested I might like this web site.
    He was entirely right. This post truly made my day.
    You cann’t imagine just how much time I had spent for this information! Thanks!

Comments are closed.