I've heard people complain about their jobs. When asked why they don't quit, they say "I can't. I need this job." But what I hear is, "I have weighed the consequences of quitting with the benefits of staying, and I want to stay more than I want to quit."
People like to be victims of circumstance, because it absolves them of responsibility. But in most situations, we do things because we want to - because the desire to do it outweighs the desire not to do it.
Believe it or not, when I do laundry, I do it because I want to. Not that I enjoy it particularly, but I want clean clothes and clean sheets, and I want my husband to have clean work pants, and I want the mountain of dirty clothes to turn into a molehill. When I vacuum, I do it because I want to, even though I hate vacuuming! I do it because I want to walk around the house barefoot without cat litter sticking to my feet or I want to see the pretty lines on the carpet that prove it is clean.
Lately I've been redefining my definition of "want." What things do I do because I think I have to? I don't have to do anything. I don't have to make Joe dinner, or write blog posts, or brush my teeth. I do all of these things because the benefits of doing them outweighs the benefits of not doing them.
Duties don't happen to me. They don't control me. I choose what to do, and why. And when I choose to do something, it is because I want to.
People like to be victims of circumstance, because it absolves them of responsibility. But in most situations, we do things because we want to - because the desire to do it outweighs the desire not to do it.
Believe it or not, when I do laundry, I do it because I want to. Not that I enjoy it particularly, but I want clean clothes and clean sheets, and I want my husband to have clean work pants, and I want the mountain of dirty clothes to turn into a molehill. When I vacuum, I do it because I want to, even though I hate vacuuming! I do it because I want to walk around the house barefoot without cat litter sticking to my feet or I want to see the pretty lines on the carpet that prove it is clean.
Lately I've been redefining my definition of "want." What things do I do because I think I have to? I don't have to do anything. I don't have to make Joe dinner, or write blog posts, or brush my teeth. I do all of these things because the benefits of doing them outweighs the benefits of not doing them.
Duties don't happen to me. They don't control me. I choose what to do, and why. And when I choose to do something, it is because I want to.
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