"**When two spouses agree to stay together “for better or worse,” rather than bolting as soon as the going gets tough, they’re making an agreement that not only will help them weather the rough patches, but that also promises to make the good times more fulfilling, too**—because having committed themselves to one finite course of action, they’ll be much less likely to spend that time pining after fantastical alternatives. "**In consciously making a commitment, they’re closing off their fantasies of infinite possibility** in favor of what I described, in the previous chapter, as the “joy of missing out”: **the recognition that the renunciation of alternatives is what makes their choice a meaningful one in the first place**. "This is also why it can be so unexpectedly calming to take actions you’d been fearing or delaying—to finally hand in your notice at work, become a parent, address a festering family issue, or close on a house purchase. **When you can no longer turn back, anxiety falls away, because now there’s only one direction to travel: forward into the consequences of your choice**." --- **Tags** -- [[quotes]], [[anxiety]], [[procrastination]], [[acceptance]], [[perfectionism]], [[relationships]], [[joy-of-missing-out]], [[character]], [[making-decisions]], [[personal-values]] **Source** -- [[202410130434 - B - Four Thousand Weeks]] **See Also -- ** [[202410151020 - AtN - The grass is greenest only in your head]]