I Get To Do This

When I was with the Chiefs, every morning of training camp, a veteran linebacker, Tamba Hali, would walk into our position meeting with a big grin on his face and yell, “Gentlemen, don’t forget…WE GET TO DO THIS.”

And, he did it for a good reason.

It only takes a few days of training camp before the extreme physical and mental strain starts to wear you down. Even when you’re living out your childhood dream, morale can take a hit.

But, not for Tamba.

Day in and day out, Tamba held firm to this mindset. And I would even argue that it was this unshakeable attitude that has allowed him to consistently perform with an unmatched level of excellence - propelling his game to greater heights season after season.

We. Get. To. Do. This.

I keep a sticky note next to my computer to remind me that I don’t have to do any of this, but I get to. Because sometimes, when we are in the thick of it, it’s easy to lose this perspective and when we lose this perspective, we often lose our gratitude.

So, the next time you don’t want to work out but you know moving your body is important, remember that you get to work out because you still have a healthy and able body.

When you’re complaining about going to work in the morning, remember you get to go to work in the morning because you have a job.

When you’re feeling overwhelmed by the challenges of a new project, remember you get to tackle it because you have the skills and opportunity to grow.

When we adopt the mindset, ‘we get to do this’ we ground ourselves into a foundation of gratitude and it’s this foundation that supports a life of well-being.