You Don't Have To

Before you take another step, remember that you don't have to do it. You don't have to take a shower, go to work, eat food, wash your car, check your e-mail, listen to the radio, or play with your kids.

You don't have to get a physical exam, go to the dentist, save for retirement, go to college, or pay any of your bills.

You don't have to exercise, eat healthy, read any books, or wear any clothes today.

You don't have to get married, have kids, hang out with your friends, or pay any of your taxes. You don't have to have a house and a car. You don't even have to live. There is nothing in this world that is forcing you to do anything, and you are not obligated to do anything that you're "supposed" to do. Yes, all decisions have benefits and consequences, but ultimately, you don't have to do anything.

If somebody holds a gun to your head and says, "Get in the car," who says that you have to do it? If a cop pulls you over and asked for your driver's license, who says that you have to do it? If the IRS said that if you don't pay up, you'll go to jail, who says that you have to still pay? Again, there are benefits and consequences for all your actions, but ultimately, you don't have to do a single thing.

So stop thinking that you HAVE to do anything. Everything you do is by CHOICE, not by force. Actually, nobody is forced to do anything. Unless a tornado rips you from your house, then nothing or nobody could force you to do anything. Despite any consequences, everything you do is by choice.

This also means that you don't have to cuss out anybody. You don't have to sit home depressed. You don't have to be lazy. You don't have to binge on television. You don't have to be racist. You don't have to be hateful. You don't have to get revenge. You don't have to get the "final word." You don't have to quit. You don't have to criticize anybody. All these things you do by CHOICE.

There is something liberating in knowing that you don't have to do anything. When you wake up in the morning dreading to go to work, well, you don't have to go! You might get fired, but so what? If you hate the job that much, just leave. What's keeping you there? Yes, you have bills...but you don't have to pay them. Yes, you might get evicted from your home, but you don't have to have a home. Yes, you might freeze outside and die from lack of shelter, but it's not like you have to live anyway. Who said that I have to exist anyway?

See, many of us think that we're nothing but higher forms of animals -- or monkeys. Animals live life on instinct. They can't control everything that they do. Animals don't make good or bad choices. They do what they've been programmed to do. Humans, on the other hand, don't live by instinct. We live by intentional choices that we make everyday. In other words, we have A LOT of power in our hands to make the right choices or the wrong choices.

Where you are right now in life is due to all the choices, not obligations, that you've made. While circumstances could influence where we are, it would ultimately be our CHOICES that would determine the final outcome. Again, if someone holds a gun in front of you and demands that you get in the car, well, you didn't invite that situation to happen. But what happens NEXT, the ULTIMATE outcome, would depend on the CHOICE that you make. You are not obligated to follow the kidnapper's command. You could simply say, "No." If the person tries to grab you, you just might be able to beat the person down. But if you did what you HAD to do and got in the car, you might find yourself dead in the river somewhere.

Before you quit, remember that you don't HAVE to. You simply CHOOSE to.

Before you get revenge, remember that you don't HAVE to. You simply CHOOSE to.

Before you go back to your soul-sucking job, remember that you don't HAVE to. You simply CHOOSE to.

Before you have children, definitely remember that you don't HAVE to. You simply CHOOSE to...so treat your children as if you want them, and not as if they're a burden to you. Remember, they didn't ask to be born.

Before you decide to commit suicide, remember that you don't HAVE to. You simply CHOOSE to, and remember that you can CHOOSE to keep living.

Before you decide to get involved in an abusive relationship, remember that you don't HAVE to. You simply CHOOSE to, and you can CHOOSE the ultimate outcome.

If you live life knowing that everything you do is only by CHOICE, you could start making the right decisions that would bring you more joy. Living life thinking that you HAVE to do this, that, and the other is living a life of misery. Those who are happiest on their jobs are those who know they don't HAVE to be there. Those who feel that they are OBLIGATED to slave in their prison they call "work" are the ones who suffer from heart attacks, strokes, high blood pressure, and psychotic issues.

There is POWER in your hands. Use that power to make CHOICES, not to fulfill obligations.