things you should never say

I have to ______.

I’ve always ______ this way.

They had me ______.

They made me ______.

My parents raised me to think ______, so now I ______.

______ is what I was always told, so now I ______.

______ happened, so now I still act like ______.

I didn’t want to ______, but I did.

Everyone was ______, so I did too.

I don’t know why, but I ______.

I couldn’t help ______.

For some reason, I ______.

All of these phrasings are ways to evade personal responsibility. Any action you do, short of under the threat of violence, is your choice. Just because other people, your upbringing, or your past influenced your decisions does not make them any less yours. You didn’t “have to” do it, you chose to do it. Eat the aftermath.