I could, but I’m choosing not to

Responsibility is saying, “I could do that, but I’m choosing not to.”

Responsibility is acknowledging the part you play in the situation. It’s acknowledging that you have or have had the freedom to make decisions and that the situation you’re in now and the direction you’re going, one way or another, reflect the decisions you’ve made.

It’s easier to be a victim. It’s easier to be like, “Yo, it’s not my fault,” easier to say, “I can’t do that.”

It gets on my last nerve when someone’s like, “I can’t quit my job,” or, “I can’t save more money,” or, “I can’t adopt right now.” Maybe those situations actually exist, but I’m not convinced they do. Even if reality says they do, I feel like it might be better to believe otherwise anyway.

It’s never, “I can’t.” It’s always, “I could, but I’m choosing not to.” It’s never one path only. It’s always a response to the many paths crossing all over.

But when I publish this, someone will say, “But I can’t do that,” or, “I have no other choice,” and they’ll add to the chorus of fecklessness, the same way I do when I forget, “I could, but I’m choosing not to.”