“The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be.”
_________________

Ralph Waldo Emerson

I know my use of such an antiquated 19th century American territorial expansionist philosophical term as the title of this article may sound alarmist to some of you. But no worries… I just thought it was pretty cool. These words of Emerson ring so true to those who are open to it. While I have been writing books and articles, I learned of a process called ‘listening to the silence.” it’s a creative process and that means when undertaking some great creative task (such as writing or doing anything artistic or creative), you must open your mind and dip into the river of thoughts and ideas that flow endlessly within it. When your mind is open the thoughts come to you.

We define “Destiny” as the events that will necessarily happen to a particular person or thing in the future. In my last article I wrote about the RAS (reticular activation system) and how it functions. This component is key in achieving your destiny. Once you master the RAS, your destiny is just around the corner. As we go through life, we filter out different ideas, people and situations. We instinctively know what we are supposed to do in life. We know innately and then we move towards those goals. I know that as a person coming from humble beginnings, I have always known what I wanted to do and I am doing that to this day. I am not some great soothsayer. I am just a guy who figured some things out in this world. I believe in sticking to what works.

Is destiny your potential waiting to happen? Of course, it is and negative people or situations can sometimes get in the way of your destiny. You must never let anyone stand in the way of your program. The people who come into your life will either be a blessing or a lesson for you. It’s up to you if you allow them to alter your course. Now that is not to say that having a significant other can’t be beneficial, it definitely can be. There is nothing like sharing your goals with someone you love. We choose our destiny and life is full of experiences both good and bad and it’s up to us as to how we react to it. How do we realize our destiny? Well, first off, we have to change our attitude with regard to it. You have to go from the pessimistic perspective of thinking to an optimistic perspective of thinking.

Look at it this way a person can go from believing that life happens to them, to believing and realizing that we create our own lives. It starts there and flows from there. We must step outside our comfort zone and recognize that you are the greatest person in existence and there is no one else like you in the world. As I travel, I hear people talk about what their fate holds and I swear that has a negative connotation to it. I believe that fate and destiny are two different things. I think that fate is simply without any effort existing in space and then saying your lines through life and not placing yourself on the path to success. Do you ever feel that way? Here are some steps you can take to achieve your destiny… First of all, be disciplined, stay focused and don’t be defined by things you have done in the past. Dwelling on past mistakes will drag you down in the present. Follow these steps …

• Look for things in your life that make you happy…
• Get quiet, meditate, and listen for destiny’s call
• Be more playful
• Learn life lessons the first time
• Know what causes you to lose your temper or make bad decisions
• Have a life plan so you don’t get pulled away from your goals
• Stay away from negative people
• Remember this quote…

“All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost;

From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken,
The crownless again shall be king.”
– JRR Tolkien

It’s so important to achieve your destiny. Remember … with great risk comes great reward.

This article originally appeared in the Spring 2019 issue of CHOICES Magazine