Remember, you don't have to do anything. You can choose to do whatever you think is important enough to warrant your efforts. Don't lament your responsibilities as burdensome and unavoidable.
Think of the positive effects of your actions—the reasons you go to work, the reasons you keep the household running.
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How many times have you complained to yourself, "Why do I have to do this?" Would you believe that you don't have to do it?Unless you are in prison, you don't have to do anything. You choose to do things.
You might ask, "What difference does that make? I have to do the laundry, or I choose to do the laundry. Either way it has to be done."
It makes a tremendous difference. It is the difference between taking an action because something of value is at stake for you, and taking an action because you are being forced to do so. Doing the laundry is a choice you make because you value being clean and presentable, or you do the laundry for your family members because you love them.
Every time we do the laundry we are doing it because we want to. Is anyone forcing you to do the laundry? No. When you see all the options you have, you can begin to appreciate the choices you make.
Interviews on life satisfaction levels found that those who expressed a sense of autonomy, of making decisions for themselves, were three times more likely to feel satisfied than those who did not.
Fisher 1995
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