Would it be fair to say that anything worth doing costs something-whether it is time, effort, money or doing things you just would rather not do? This seems to be an unequivocal law of the universe, that of give and take. Yet often we sabotage our efforts by making our challenges and responsibilities seem harder than they actually are in the way that we refer to them.

By way of example: you or someone you know wants to get into better physical condition and all you hear is:

?Someone brought donuts into work today but I have to eat healthy instead.?

?I wanted to go to the mall but I have to go to the gym instead.?

Well the truth is that as an adult you actually never ?have to? eat healthy or go to the gym. It is simply what you trade in return for improved appearance and health. Yet by constantly harping on what you ?have to? do, what ends up happening is that you make yourself miserable for no good reason.

There is a subtle linguistic shift you can easily use to avoid this mistake. Transform your ?have to? statements into ?I get to? ones. Using the previous examples:

?I get to eat healthy today because I want to look and feel better.?

?I get to go to the gym today because I am choosing to do something productive with my time.?

The ?have to? statements encourage a person to feel like he or she is a victim. The ?get to? formula is closer to reality, that your decisions are a matter of personal choice based on what you value most.

This technique is not limited to diet and exercise change either. Let?s say you are in business for yourself and you wake up in the morning dreading your ?to do? list. What if you transformed it into your ?get to do? list? Chances are you would be more productive and have a much more enjoyable day.

Note: I was lucky enough to get the information that inspired this article from the people at Certain Way Productions. They have plenty of wonderful low and no-cost self-help resources, especially for those of us interesed in financial and professional success.

No, you don?t ?have to? visit them. However, you can "get to " check them out for yourself by visiting Certain Way Productions. You will certainly be glad that you did.

As you probably know, the Great American Smoke Out is coming up, the annual event that raises public awareness about the dangers of smoking and encourages people to attempt to quit for at least one day. Hypnosis counseling can be incredibly helpful in giving a person the confidence needed in order to quit successfully.

Recently I have noticed a trend where a lot people are coming to my office for smoking cessation in small groups (2-5 people). Many find the group support helpful and the rates per person are more affordable this way too.

If interested, give me a call at (732) 714-7040 for further details. I have never seen anyone regret their decision to quit smoking-the same cannot be said for those who decide to continue this dangerous, dirty and expensive habit.