But I had NO choice!!

So, I had a conversation, with a certain irresponsible and completely deluded individual today, and it left me a bit more disappointed than I even thought possible.


Now, Ill spare you the details of the conversation, but suffice it to say that it seems like the only thing I can count on this person to do, is not do what they say they will do, and then get upset at me when I ask why they did not follow through. The reasoning?

"It wasnt my fault. I had no choice!"

Ahhh, "I had no choice"... One of my least favorite sentences in all of the English language, and perhaps one of the most overused excuses plaguing our society today. Seriously people, lets think about this one for a minute...

How many times a day do you think people claims that they "had no choice" as an explanation for their behavior? My guess is this phrase is uttered millions of times each day. I know Ive said it a hundred times before, havent you?


But how often is this actually a statement of fact? If youre honest with yourself, then you know that the real answer is hardly ever. Life is nothing more than a series of choices, and there are very few exceptions. The folks left homeless in the fires, or the tsunami, or Hurricane Katrina... they had no choice. There was no choice that they could have made which would have resulted in a different outcome for them.

Seriously people, life is nothing more than a series of choices. There are not any real situations in life where you truly do not have a choice in what actions you make. The truth is, more often than not, the choices you have are not desirable ones. Whether you choose A or B, you will not be happy with the outcome, but one choice is less terrible than the other. What do you do? You choose the option that is the lesser of two evils, but the point is, you still have a choice.

I am so tired of people complaining about how things turn out, and claiming that the situation was beyond their control. Didnt make it to work or school on time? Not your fault? No choice? Interesting, who kept hitting snooze? Sad your wife is leaving you? Who chose to cheat on her? Mad that so-and-so is getting recognized because of their achievements? Maybe you shouldve worked that extra little bit like they did.

Look, the point is, in each and every situation in life, we have to realize that we chose to do what we did, and those choices landed us where we are. Each time you choose option A, you are choosing against option B. Each time you chose to sleep in a little longer, you chose to sleep instead of starting your day. Everytime you cut corners, at work or in your personal life, you are choosing to do so. No one is putting a gun to your head, but even in that situation: "Hey, its your money or your life!", you still have a choice- one choice just sucks less than the other.

I happen to believe that life is 10% what happens to you, and 90% how you handle yourself. Dont complain about something someone else has, if you are not willing to do what they did to get it!! And for the love of GOD, stop blaming everyone and everything else for your circumstances. If you land somewhere you dont like being, the great thing is you have the power to decide to make different decisions from there on out.

Get out of DE-NILE and into the boat! Grab a friggin oar, and start rowing!! It may not be a pleasant experience, but when the chips are down, survivors do what they have to do to get where they need to be.

Its not your fault? You had no choice? Pssssssssssssssssh!! Bullshit!

You wanna know who has no choice? Prince. He has no choice. Hes a friggin midget! But you know what? The mans been rocking platform heels, purple feather boas, and women's clothing for 30 years, and he has no problem with the ladies. Steal a page from his royal purpleness, the unpronounceable symbol's play book: Make the most of what youve got, and dont let circumstance rule you.

Life is nothing more than a series of choices. Choose wisely.