Have you ever had one of those dumb friends who thought prison might be a welcome change to life?
They'd say things like, "Oh, I'd get so much reading done," or "Yeah, I'd get ripped."
They weren't wrong. There is plenty of time to read and pump iron under maximum security. But the joke here is simple, prison is far from ideal. They're ignoring the endless anxiety of being stabbed. And the limited menu. And toilet wine. Oh, and the whole living in a concrete box surrounded by criminals thing.
We're so desperate for simplicity we joke like it's not possible. Living through the most complex era to date, it's too much for some people to deal. Forget getting ripped and reading books, people can't even get off their phones in a movie theater.
Choice is not a problem. Choice is an opportunity. Being locked in a cage will make life simple, but it won't be pretty.
If you want life to be better, you have to accept nothing less. You can't ask your best friend "don't let me drink too much". You can't hire a trainer and stay healthy. You can't be forced to be better.
Some people in this world quit serious addictions cold turkey. The idea of swallowing pills to numb every aspect of life for the next decade is motivation enough to cut it out. It's far from easy but the choice can be.
The modern problem is the story can change at any moment. We're bombarded with them. Just as advertising tells us there is something wrong and we need to buy to be whole again, the Internet shows us ten thousand lives to live when we only exist in one.
Change the story you tell yourself and you will see things differently. You don't need a drug problem or jail to simplify. You don't need your best friend to be responsible for you or a trainer for your body.
Leave yourself no choice but to become better, whatever that means for you.
And knock it off with the bad jokes, you'd definitely get stabbed in prison.