Get to vs Have to

A major shift in thinking about work is the shift from a ‘have to’ to ‘get to’. I learnt this from a productivity class I took recently.

A ‘have to’ task feels just by definition much more responsible and a ‘get to’ task feels more playful. We all start many endeavors in our lives that we enjoy doing. But when we make our dreams, our profession, we unfortunately move from our playful ‘get to‘ zone to a more responsible but dry ‘have to’ mode.

Eg: I get to draw 5 pages of comics today vs I have to draw 5 pages of comics

I get to travel and meet people vs I have to travel and meet people

I get to finish the story I’m writing vs I have to finish the story I’m writing

I get to try out a new recipe today vs I have to try out a new recipe today

Everything changes about the process intrinsically. To someone else, from the outset, you might still seem to be doing the thing that you have to. Just more enthusiastically.