During introductions at a recent professional development conference where I was the keynote speaker, one woman made it clear that she had to be there. It was evident by the sour look on her face that she wasn’t very happy about it either.  As the meet and greet continued, several other skeptics shared her sentiment. I was beginning to think this was going to be a long day until one woman enthusiastically said, “I GET to be here!”. Several in the room caught her positive attitude and shared that they too were excited that they got to be there. One woman even emailed her manager at the lunch break to thank her for LETTING her come.

One thing I’ve noticed is that the people with the ‘get-to’ attitude seem to have a lot more enjoyment and success in their lives than the people with the ‘have-to’ attitudes.  Attitude is a choice and every day you can look at your activities as things you get to do or things you have to do.  For example, I get to do laundry because I’m fortunate to have lots of clothes and a washer and dryer. I get to travel all the country because I have clients who hire me. I get to clean my house because I’m blessed to have a house and things in it to make a mess with. You get the picture.

Back in my corporate days, I was lucky that I got to go to conferences and training workshops because I had managers who invested in giving me the opportunity to develop my skills. Today I give myself those opportunities.

At the end of the conference, one of the skeptics made a comment on the evaluation form that she was glad she came. High praise coming from a ‘have-to’ and that’s why I love what I do… seeing a ‘have-to’ turn into ‘get-to’. Despite trying really hard not to, old sour face almost cracked a smile twice so there’s hope for her too.