An easy way to break free from the tyranny of “shoulds” is to count them. Most people are unaware of the number of times they think or say the word “should,” or the number of “shoulds” that appear in sheep’s clothing: the “musts,” “have tos,” “got tos,” and “ought tos.” For a week or two, use a golfstroke counter or another simple counter to count the number of times you think or say the word “should” (or its other forms).

393