Destiny is malleable. Fate is fixed. It takes deliberate effort to achieve your destiny. But it takes a special will to even attempt to change your fate.
“I do not believe in a fate that falls on men however they act; but I do believe in a fate that falls on them unless they act.” -Buddha
Most people confuse destiny as the same as fate. The former is probable and the latter is inevitable.
On paper it’s semantics. But in practice, in the grand scheme of things, that distinction is everything.
It’s the difference between following a path in one direction like a good boy as supposed to making your own path in any direction like a real man.
The thing is, by definition, fate can’t be changed, that’s why the word exists. Luckily it’s a concept that we assume to label something as fate.
You may be in engaged in an actively losing combat situation or foresee an issue in your life that’s so difficult and arduous, that you assume it’s impossible to overcome. Therefore you mistakenly assume it’s your fate to die, lose or fall. That’s not fate.
That’s just hard shit and hard ain’t shit, that is, if you have the will to defy your “fate”.
Perception is everything. Appropriately altering and focusing your perceived fate can make the impossible into something accessible. My operative advice:
If you don’t like something, change something.
If you need something, take something.
If you can’t take something, make something.
If you need to do something, try something.
If you can’t do something, do anything.
Sometimes the fate before us is truly inescapable. But most of the time it’s just extremely difficult.
In any case, you won’t truly know unless you consciously decide to defy your fate. Failure may be inevitable but success isn’t deniable, until it is.
When most of us “know” our fate is sealed, it’s demotivating and we tend to give up.
However, just like the fear of mortality, having nothing to lose can be a most powerful motivator.
Not skills, training, physical conditioning or even intelligence will be your greatest asset in defying fate. Those things will help but only after the defiance.
It’s the will to do the impossible.
First you must choose to accept your fate to defy it, then you can do something about it.
“Fate loves the fearless.” -James Russell Lowell
[The featured photo was taken at the “Roof of Indochina” on Fansipan Mountain in Sapa, Vietnam.]
1 Comment
Great advice as always sir.