Live Today, Destiny Tomorrow

“The boy didn’t know what a person’s “destiny” was. It’s what you have always wanted to accomplish. Everyone, when they are young, knows what their destiny is. At that point in their lives, everything is clear and everything is possible. They are not afraid to dream, and to yearn for everything they would like to see happen to them in their lives. But, as time passes, a mysterious force begins to convince them that it will be impossible for them to realize their destiny.” – The Alchemist

Sometimes I wonder what my destiny is; am I meant to achieve great things or should I leave that to someone else who is more equipped and better qualified? The green meanies often get the best of me and convince me that somehow I am not good enough. There will always be someone better. Someone brighter, more handsome, competent and outgoing. If you choose to put yourself in that mindset, you will never be good enough. So let’s try the counter. Who are you not to be brave, bold, brilliant and beautiful? Believe in yourself. In your dreams and your passions. Stand in your convictions of what you know to be pure, good and true and reflect on those beauties. It is all a matter of perspective. Think back and try to remember when you felt like everything was clear and anything was possible…

I was in sixth grade and I swear I could stand on top of the world. For the first time in my life I understood what it was like to live intentionally and purposefully. My teacher, Marilyn Chaffee, truly had me convinced that I could do anything I could dream. I wanted to write a #1 hit song, I could do it. I wanted to star in my own television show, I could do it. I wanted to start an orphanage in Mexico, I could do it. Here I am, eight years later having done none of those things, but feeling equally fulfilled; because I believe in destiny. I trust that every event is meaningful and contributes to a greater purpose. I truly believe that by saying “yes” to life you create opportunities for yourself to grow. Some people might say that the mysterious force convinced me that it was impossible for me to realize my destiny. But who’s to say that in sixth grade I even knew what my destiny was? To be honest, I think that my destiny was not what I had originally dreamed it would be and I am still in the process of figuring it out.

So often people are hesitant to use the word “destiny” for the connotation it implies; the concept of something being set in stone, unable to change freaks people out. I don’t blame them. What if, instead of looking at destiny as a predetermined plan for our lives, we choose to see it as the process of discovering our true selves? Instead of limiting ourselves by perceiving our lives to be one thing set in stone, we see each day as an opportunity to discover another facet of our character and individual selves.

Today, it is all a matter of perspective and what you do with the situations you are given. Are your actions influenced by your destiny or does your destiny decide your actions? Some things, the world may never know…