Recently I was going through some of my past articles in an attempt to organize my computer files and came across an article related to perspectives, and how important a healthy perspective can be when dealing with pressures of the moment, or even persevering through challenges we have faced for years. At the time of that article, I used the comparison of gas prices as they rise and fall to how we perceive the issue. If the gas prices are on the way down, we are grateful for the current price, but if they are on the way up, we tend to be less grateful. Same price, different perspective.

This idea of perspective can also be applied to our daily lives and how we approach each and every activity we are engaged in. It really all comes down to a simple transition of words.

You can get up in the morning and say to yourself “I have to go to work” or you can say “I get to go to work”. Either way, you’re going to work, but just imagine how different your attitude would be if you approached it as a gift that you have a job to go to.

You can tell your friends that instead of going out, you have to go visit your parents, or you can say, I get to go visit my parents. This again is a gift, as your parents will not always be there to visit.

I could go on and on with this mental agility practical application, but I think you get the point. It’s not what you are doing, but rather your mental approach to how you are doing it that makes such a difference for both your own disposition, as well as for those around you.

This has been one of the most important lesson I have learned from my experiences on the farm as well as in the military. I have been engaged in work, or activities that by all accounts should have been miserable, but I was surrounded by men and women who approached these challenges with a healthy and positive attitude. This positive attitude is as contagious as any virus, and can make the impossible possible and the insurmountable achievable.

It can also be approached in such a manner that even if there are things we truly do not enjoy, and we consider them as the things we have to do, most times if we are vigilant and committed, completing those activities then allow us to enjoy the things we get to do. It is sort a pay now or pay later sort of equation. The sooner you put in the effort, the sooner you can get through that challenge and get on to those activities that provide personal fulfillment. To the contrary, if you avoid those activities that need to be accomplished, you are condemning yourself to a perpetual state of engaging in the things you are not enjoying.

A personal example for me is when I wake up at 5:00 am knowing I need to get my 3 mile run in for the day. I usually start off by saying to myself. “I have to run”, which results in my laying there a little longer. I then transition to saying to myself, “I get to run!!”, at which point I spring out of bed and out the door. Same activity, different approach.

With May being designated as Mental Health Awareness Month, this is a great time to re-evaluate our own strategies to staying positive and sharing that gift with others. While very few may have the academic credentials for counseling or diagnosing, we all possess the capability of supporting and encouraging those around us.