I Like This

I made a deliberate effort to stop beginning sentences with the phrase “I hate” many years ago.  Honestly, I think that effort has changed me.  I feel lighter for it.  My outlook is more positive.

Whenever I find myself about to say “I hate” something, I stop internally.  I rethink.  I rephrase.  I might say, instead, “I don’t appreciate that as much as I did before.”

As I began to purge “I hate” from my speaking, I noticed the opportunity to turn negatives into positives.  My whole attitude changed.   If, for example, I am confronted with a suggestion to do something I would rather not do, instead of attacking that, I might recommend an alternative.

And I don’t hate ice fishing when it’s cold, I like ice fishing when it’s warm.

I began to turn “I hate that” into “I like this.”

I still stumble and fall into “I hate” now and then.  But, for the most part, I catch myself long before the fall.

I like this.

-- Mitchell Hegman