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You don’t “have to” do something, you “get to” do it.

You don’t “have to” go to your kid’s soccer games, band concert, or Halloween party, you “get to” do this. You’re lucky to have a child when others want one, but can’t get pregnant or afford IVF or adoption. You’re lucky to be able to be able to afford paying for a recreational activity, or to be able to take off of work to spend time with them.

You don’t “have to” go to work, you “get to” go to work. You’re lucky to be able to provide for yourself and your family. Plenty of people can’t find a job (or at least not a job that pays as well as yours or one that they like as much as you do).

These are just a couple of examples, but you can apply the “I get to”-kind of attitude in any situation. The point is, we have opportunities that others would only dream of having. We are so incredibly blessed, but, because we’re living in the moment, we often take those opportunities for granted.

Change your mindset to one of gratitude. Your happiness (and sometimes the happiness of those around you) depends on your attitude. It doesn’t matter how much money you make, if you are dating/married to the most beautiful/handsome person in the world, if you’re on vacation, or if you’re retired…none of that matters if your attitude sucks. Some people seem to have it all and yet they still aren’t happy. They’re not content. Make sure you don’t become one of those people. Be happy with what you have. Be happy that you “get to” do the things that others want to do.

Good or bad, this too shall pass.

Remember, when you have a bad day, things just seem to stacking your against you, or everything seems to be going wrong, this too shall pass. What you’re feeling is only temporary. If you made a mistake, take it to heart and learn from it. Don’t let the pain of today get you down. Use this pain to teach yourself to be better. Keep your head up because tomorrow is a new day.

The same can be said for when things are going your way. Life won’t always be sunshine and butterflies. Life is hard. So when you feel as if you’re on top of the world, enjoy the moment. But keep an eye out for stumbling blocks to trip you, because once again, this too shall pass.

“The way to get things done is not to mind who gets credit for doing them.” – Benjamin Jowett

It’s not about getting the glory. If you want to go fast, go alone, but if you want to go far, go with a team.

If everyone focused on doing their part for the collective good of the team, you would be amazed at the things you can accomplish.

If you have principles or rules that you live by, it will automatically dictate what needs to be done when certain situations present themselves to you. Here are five principles that I try to live by after listening to an “Art of Manliness” podcast a year ago…

1) Direction over speed. You need to know where you’re going, or have a goal in mind, before you hastily make decisions trying to get there. It doesn’t matter how quickly you’re moving or how busy you are…if you’re not aiming in the right direction, it will take you much longer to get to where you want to go.

2) Live deliberately. Time, and life, is fleeting. It can be taken from you or a loved one at any moment. Make sure that you are intentional with how you spend your time. Pursue your passions today.

3) Thoughtful opinions held loosely. If you are willing to share your opinions, make sure that they are thoughtful. That being said, do not be tied to the words that you say. You should be focused on getting to the truth, not being viewed as correct or intelligent. Be willing to change your mind as new information is presented to you.

4) Principles outlive tactics. Tactics, such as memorization, don’t necessarily mean that you understand the what, the how, or the why. Seek to understand those aspects first, then work on implementing different strategies to spread the word.

5) Own your actions. Take ownership of your mistakes. Not only is this the right thing to do, but it will actually garner you more respect than if you hide from it. It is much harder to admit a mistake than it is to blame others, but you will never grow as a person or as a leader if you constantly point the finger at someone else’s wrongdoing. Don’t let your ego get in the way of truly owning your actions.

“A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in.” – Greek proverb

Don’t be narrow-minded or short-sighted. Some actions have short-term benefits, but long-term consequences. The easy statement for the cynic to make is, “oh well. I’ll be dead before it ever affects me.” But that is no way to think to build a better future.

An example that comes to mind is environmental health. The short-sighted action is to deregulate laws that make it difficult for oil companies to drill offshore. Without these laws, it would allow for increased production/profitability for the oil companies and because there is more supply available, it should offer decreased costs (in theory) for the consumer. What is missed in this though is that it often comes with decreasing safety standards, protocol, or other items that serve as a barrier…this barrier acts to protect the environment (avoiding another oil spilling disaster) and to protect their employees (as this can be a dangerous profession). If we’re not driven solely by money, we should be on board to have crucial safety measures in place, right?

So, the options above are, maximize company profit now at the expense of the earth’s and the company’s employee’s health OR lower company profits and increase the health and safety of the earth and the company’s employees.

What do you think the oil companies will choose? The oil conglomerates, their lobbyists, and even some of our own politicians have a lot to gain (or lose) financially based on how much oil can be extracted. They think so short-term that they try to convince themselves that what they’re doing is fine. It’s safe. It’s not bad for the environment. There’s no such thing as global warming, or if there is, that what we humans do has no effect on it. They want more money in their bank accounts and are willing to sacrifice the health and safety standards of others to get it. After all, they’ll be dead before we see the true ramifications for what they’re doing. Greed is an ugly thing.

There are more examples out there like this, many of them not as obvious. But think about what you can do in your daily life to build a better future. Build it, if not for yourself then for your children, or your children’s children.

Try thinking about the long-term consequences of your actions and then act based on your predicted consequences. You may never see the desired result, but at least you know that you have contributed towards a better future.