Exerting control is rewarding. Simply deciding on something, no matter how trivial, can activate the reward pathways in the brain. This is what we’re exploiting with the 2 Minute Rule of Habits. You may not be fully getting a workout, but you’re making the choice to get started. You are still casting that vote. You’re still acting. This keeps you firmly in the realm of those who do, not those who are stagnant.
Personal growth almost requires the conscious choice to do the hard things. Toughness Training Requires Autonomy. You can’t force someone to work hard at gunpoint then expect them to become better workers. They have to make the choice, using an internal Locus of Control.
Having things simply “happen to you” is less satisfying than it is to decide you want them to happen, then act, then receive them.