Live Your Destiny
The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be. — Ralph Waldo Emerson
Choice forges destiny. Heated in the furnace of desire, destiny’s iron rod bends to steadfast perseverance. Where some things are inevitably controlled by fate, the power to choose is in our hands to the last breath. Even though one may have limited choices, the lever of destiny rests upon the fulcrum of choice.
It is better to live your own destiny imperfectly than to imitate somebody else’s perfectly. — Bhagavad Gita
Some individuals embrace the destiny of others far too closely and lose their way. Self-doubt can make a person step into the footsteps of another. But those hesitant steps lead away from one’s true destiny. Always choosing the easy way limits the potential for a life well lived. And the numbing pangs of regret increase with age. Eventually, the misery of a life of indecision presses on the soul like a dark fist. However, the path back to one’s true destiny begins with hope.
No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path. — Buddha
Although fate plays a part in an individual’s lot in life, everyone must must find their own way ahead. The path to redemption lies within. But first, a person has to believe in themselves. The decision to change summons warm breezes which melt away the bitter shadows of guilt and recrimination. We must lift ourselves up if we are to fashion our destiny.
Watch your thoughts, they become your words; watch your words, they become your actions; watch your actions, they become your habits; watch your habits, they become your character; watch your character, it becomes your destiny. — LaoZi (Lao Tzu)
Reality begins in the mind. Our senses, however many there are, provide information about the world around us. The mind uses words to create meaning from this sensory information. Acting on this meaning-making creates the looking glass which reflects an individual’s character outward. Some believe much of a person’s character is created at birth. That is why many people take great interest in how their fate is written in the stars. If this supposed fateful character is believed to be true, it can become the polestar of one’s spirit.
It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves. — William Shakespeare
Many schools of thought seek to dim the shadows of uncertainty. But it is up to each of us to write our own story. All life is lived autobiographically. We see the world from our seat in the center of the stage upon which life’s grand opera plays out. Perhaps in the end, our individual destinies are as Shakespeare wisely wrote about so long ago. All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages.
