I was contemplating the other day about destiny and free will and I processed both of them in ways that make sense to me in a non conflicting way….. at least from my perspective. My view on this may be different from yours but the way I see it, Destiny is something you are meant to do. It is something that brings you closer to your highest self. It is not a hard set path that you must take but rather a journey to a destination that will bring out the best in you. What you’re destined to do opens your eyes to the most profound epiphanies about yourself, your surroundings, and your purpose. The road to your destiny may be rough but the lessons you learn from your experiences on this path will be life changing and contribute significantly to your personal development.
Like a car getting a green light at every approaching intersection, sometimes the Universe can open the doors and clear the way for you if you chose to follow your destiny. Following your destiny could be as easy as flowing with the Tao, not resisting, but surrendering to the stream of water that will bring you to an ocean of possibilities. In nature, water is a natural element that always flows to the ocean. Through erosion it cuts through rocks and carves valleys through mountains. Not to get all organized religion on you but let me quote Jesus when he said “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done.” Water is the only element that moves mountains and takes their rocks and minerals out into the sea. Perhaps an intentional metaphor or just a coincidence but I like to compare it to the Eastern view of flowing with the Tao. The Tao is the force that is most aligned with life, nature, and fulfillment. Water is one of the 5 elements of the Tao and is the most powerful. Water is used as a metaphoric symbol when pursuing your dreams because when you align yourself with that element, you can move mountains. It also instills patience in the student who understands the element because water does not cut through rocks and mountains in one day, it does so over time. Like anything you pursue, as much as we want to get to the next check point as quickly as possible, truly successful people have patience.
On the contrary, pursuing your destiny may be challenging at first, you may not be getting a ton of green lights but rather a bunch of obstacles and hurdles. But within the struggle to live your ideal life and become your greatest version of yourself, the journey itself can be an enlightening process. You will learn things about yourself that you never knew before. People who are strong enough to pick themselves up after failure always become stronger and wiser individuals. Successful internet entrepreneurs that I have listened to have often said “I have a lot of expensive experience”. They have taken big blows to their finances and self esteem before they were able to get to a point where they had unimaginable wealth and freedom. Just because you are pursuing your destiny, does not mean you won’t encounter failure.
Whether the road is rough or easy, the Stars are aligned for you to pursue what you are destined to do. You just got to be up for the challenge…. to become the greatest version of yourself. It’s not about how easy or difficult your destined path may be, it’s about what you will get out of it, and who you will transform into through the process of walking that path.
How do you know what your destiny is? What are you naturally good at that you enjoy doing? What do you feel a strong need to pursue, create, or make a difference in? What type of activity or place do you feel most at home and at peace with yourself? These are questions you have to ask yourself. In this modern world we have to balance happiness with making a living. Understandably many people don’t pursue what they feel destined to do because of this. Others, going against the odds take a leap of faith because they cannot live in a reality where they aren’t living according to their full potential.
Destiny is not set in stone because we do have free choice. We can pursue another path and be successful at it. But what is success? Is it money? That is what most people have been conditioned to feel success is. What if you wanted to be a painter but thought it was too difficult to make money as a painter. So instead you became a stock broker. You become wealthy but you work long hours, have little time for yourself, your job is stressful, you may have bought a lot of toys yet have minimal amount of time to actually enjoy the fruits of your labor. Is that success? Money and resources are needed to exist in our reality, it’s needed to exist comfortably in our economy, but we must look at success beyond money, the circle is much bigger than that. If you prioritize the lifestyle you want before the money, you will soon realize that there are many other variables of success that fit into this circle. Imagine your ideal lifestyle, then figure out a way to afford it. Most people think of how to make money first, and then find a way to make their ideal lifestyle fit in to it. It should be the other way around.
You can chose a path that is not your destiny and become “successful” at it but will it truly be fulfilling? Will it be something you can’t wait to do everyday? These are the things we must think about. I can’t give you the answer, only you can decide what is best for you, what your definition of success and happiness and fulfillment is subjective to your own perspective. I’m just giving you something to think about. Deviating from your destiny could be a path of disappointment and failure, or it could be disappointment and failures that lead up to financial success. Either way the journey will either be successful or unsuccessful but the main question is, will the path lead you to the highest version of yourself? Will you feel fulfilled? Will you feel like you make a difference? Will your soul feel relevant or will your life feel mundane?
The highest version of yourself… What the hell is that exactly? How does one define the greatest version of themselves?
This is my subjective interpretation of it. Your highest self is a state of mind where you feel fulfilled mentally, spiritually, emotionally, financially (depending on what your relationship to money is), and emotionally. Your highest self enables you to resiliently stand on your own regardless of what situation you may encounter. So if your highest self is a state of mind, what comes first? Your destiny or the state of mind? The real truth is, it’s the state of mind that will bring you to your highest self, which will then bring you to your destiny. Some people follow their destiny, and on the journey they grow and cultivate the state of mind necessary to pursue what they’re destined to do. But for those who dream the impossible and don’t allow the external world to conflict with the inner selves, they are the ones who have the state of mind that guides them on their destiny. Steve jobs has an endearing perspective of getting what you want out of life. The 3 minute video below will serve you well to watch it.
As I mentioned earlier, you have free choice. You have a choice of how to think and conduct yourself in this lifetime. What you chose to perceive as limitations, rewards, sacrifices, long term vs short term fulfillment, these are all variables that create a state of mind geared toward personal development, self sabotage, or mediocrity. Free will and destiny are almost linked together, a blurred line that connects them both. Funny how something you are meant to do can only be done if you Chose to do it.
Always remember, You Have The Free Will To Pursue Your Destiny.
About the Author:
Ascension Lifestyle Staff Writer John Baran
