Many people I talk with have the inner belief that you are either dealt a certain hand, or that things happen to them because of this destiny that is going to happen.  I hear phrases like, “things happen for a reason”, or “it wasn’t meant to be.”  While it is a nice thought and can be an intellectually stimulating topic of conversation, nothing could be further from the truth.

One of the greatest gifts we have is the freedom of choice.  The freedom to choose what we want in life.  There may be points when we have to deal with obstacles in life and circumstances that may be negative, but we all choose how we handle adverse situations.  From the beginning of time mankind has had the ability to make his own decisions.  That is a tremendous privilege and responsibility.  We must accept responsibility for what we have in our lives, good or bad, and accept responsibility.

The paradox here is that the idea of freedom of choice is the thing that can set us free from believing that we have to accept something.  For example, how many times have you heard someone say that God gave them a disease or ailment?  Some profess that they have a chronic condition to make them a better person.  How about when you didn’t get a job you wanted and you say to yourself that it wasn’t meant to be.  There may be other factors, like more qualifies candidates, or your background wasn’t sufficient or maybe you had poor performance on the interview.  None of these circumstances should be chalked up to “that’s how it should be”, or “it must have happened for a reason”.

Granted, that at times, bad things happen to good people.  But how we deal with the situation determines the outcome.  Ultimately it is ourselves, who has the power to determine what is in our life.  Not every single thing, because there are factors that affect us like, environment, society, etc, but overall we do have the ability to shape the world that impacts us and how we view it.

The people who achieve greatness in life are those who look for the circumstances they want in order to succeed and if they can’t find them, they make them.  Think of the settlers that came to America wanting a better life.  They picked up their loved ones and what possessions they could carry and left to a foreign country with hope and a desire to make the life they wanted.  At times, things came up that challenged them, but they kept their eyes on the life they wanted to live and let nothing stand in their way.  There are hundreds of stories of men and women throughout history who were faced with insurmountable obstacles and, through persistence and unwavering conviction to principles and their ideal, came out on top and beat the giant that faced them.

We are affected by the past, but we can also shape out future into the life we want by making choices that align with what we want.  Our vision should always be positive toward ourselves and those around us.

Every day is a golden opportunity to make our lives what we want.  Things will inevitably come up, but we are in charge of our lives and we need to stake our claim on what we want every day.  Move toward what you want by choosing what is right, just, and making it yours.  There may be a fork in the road, but you choose which way to go at that point.

Choose life.  Choose good.  Choose what you want in your life.

Ignite your passion!