The first step toward influencing your destiny is to believe that it's possible to exert control over your personal and professional life. You must accept that you have the power to exert that control and be the master of your own destiny through decisions that you make. Why is this so, sadly few people really believe this is possible.  With so much at stake,?

The word destiny, for many, conveys a curious, even mystical concept. The dictionary calls destiny "the predetermined, usually inevitable or irresistible course of events." It is a definition that seems to have many interpretations.

Destiny or fate, for some, means life is controlled, even predestined, by external forces over which individuals have little or no say. No matter, things will happen regardless of decisions or actions which are made.

As I was thinking about destiny I was reminded of the movie 300 which was about King Leonidas and his army of 300 Greeks who battled the Persians at Thermopylae in 480 B.C.  In one of the scenes King Leonidas had to seek counsel of the Moirai to discover the outcome of a potential battle. 

The ancient Greeks believed that a person's future was determined by three goddesses called the Fates, or the Moirai (sometimes referred to as the Destinies).  The Greeks believed the Fates controlled the metaphorical thread of life of every mortal from birth to death. They were independent, at the helm of necessity, directed fate, and watched that the fate assigned to every being by eternal laws might take its course without obstruction.  

Clotho, the first Fate, was the youngest of three sisters who were called the Three Fates. Clotho was responsible for spinning the thread of life which determined when and where someone was to be born as well as determining the major decisions in their life.  The second sister, Lachesis, was the measurer of the thread woven by Clotho’s spindle, and in mythology was the Fate who determined destiny or the thread of life.   Atropos was the oldest of the Three Fates.  Atropos was known as the "inflexible" or "inevitable." It was Atropos who chose the mechanism of death and ended the life of each mortal by cutting their thread.

Since Ancient Greece, people have found reason to believe sincerely that their individual destinies were determined by such other disparate forces as gods, astrological signs, spirits, and numerology! For some, divine predestination is an important religious belief. Others are convinced that individual fate is determined by either heredity or environment or both.

The problem with such preemptive prescriptions for life is that they not only relieve individuals of the responsibility for their actions, but they rob us of incentive and initiative to live up to our potential! It reminds me of what some have called the "conveyor belt" philosophy.  With this outlook, people merely step on at the beginning and are transported through life without initiative or interruption to a predetermined destination – the end of your life.  It may be safe, it may be secure and undemanding, but it leaves little room for creativity, individual achievement, or opportunities to enjoy the ride.

What’s missing in the definition of destiny is the ‘who’! Who predetermines the course of events?  While I certainly don't mean to take issue with those who, by religious teaching or tradition, attribute a part of the direction or influence for their lives to a higher power, I don't think we can afford to abdicate complete responsibility for what happens in our lives. If we are to progress, if we are to succeed, if we are to reap the rewards of our efforts, we have to be the one who predetermines and makes inevitable or irresistible the course of events which dictate our destiny.

I don't believe anyone is entered as a favorite in the human race. Certainly some people start out with more than others, but everyone is given opportunities to advance in the world, and everyone has the free will and power to act on those opportunities. We are empowered to reach our highest potential. Not to do so is a waste of the gifts of talent and free will that are our natural birthright.

Experience the full potential of your destiny by exercising the power of your talents and the ability to make decisions.  Consider your destiny as an exciting and fulfilling journey that is constantly in progress, not just a final destination. Your destiny is predetermined by you and is always subject to change.

Instead of considering your destiny is something that just happens to you, believe it is something you actively create. Become the architect of your own destiny! Use your power over your destiny to design your future and shape the world around you. Be the one who makes things happen!

Think about it.