If you’re like me, you believe that everything in life happens for a reason and meaningful coincidences, aren't products full of happenstance. Whether it's considered to be synchronicity, destiny or fate, life often awards us with moments where our paths seem to be in alignment with our highest self and greatest good. I’m a firm believer that in life, opportunities close so others can open, relationships end so others can begin, and that our souls passions can guide the trajectory of our lives purpose. However, I also believe that our responsibility heavily lies in being an active participant in the process; by meeting fate halfway.
The Oxford dictionary defines fate as, “the development of events beyond a person's control, regarded as determined by a supernatural power.” Though there isn’t much discussion about what it means to meet fate halfway, I have identified ways we can all do our part to ensure we are meeting fate where our control ends. The first is:
Trust Your Instincts: following your first mind is the proverbial act of trusting yourself. It’s synonymous with trusting your intuition, and/or gut instinct. It’s your immediate understanding of something without second-guessing yourself or requiring the input of another. Instinctively, your intuition arises as a feeling within your body that only you experience. It’s a feeling sometimes followed by a doubtful or fearful thought because the process of trusting yourself can be a challenge; especially when certain habits and circumstances pull you strongly and often unconsciously in the opposite direction. Fortunately, our intuition is so deeply rooted in our souls that even if we’ve been out of touch with it for our entire lives, it’s still there inside of us, waiting for us to invoke its divine wisdom.
Be Authentic: authenticity is the key that unlocks the equitable relationships intended for your success. Authentic people value self-knowledge and are motivated to learn more about themselves in an attempt to better understand how they relate and respond to others. They are equally interested in understanding their strengths and weaknesses, and are willing to objectively reflect on feedback regardless of whether it is flattering or unflattering. Authenticity requires a level of awareness, emotional intelligence and willingness to behave in line with your unique integral values and qualities, even if those idiosyncrasies conflict with social conventions or other external influences.
Make a Plan and Make it Plain: there’s a saying that goes, “Write the vision and make it plain.” This concept simply means to identify your ideas, goals, desires and needs, clearly and concisely; preferably on something tangible like a whiteboard, journal, document, planner, etc. Having a plan allows you to have an intelligible and tangible blueprint to achieving and bringing any goal to fruition. Written goals afford us the chance to choose specific measurable tasks that are important to us and imperative for success in both long and short-term goals. Having this clarity helps you filter out the habits, attitudes, activities, and people that do not support or ad value to your objectives.
Take Educated Risks: taking an educated risk is another key to success in meeting fate halfway. Risk taking is a large part of the human experience that we will all inevitably face; however, our ability to do so intelligently is what makes all the difference. An opportunity to take a risk that could change the trajectory of our lives requires intentionality and curiosity. The minimizing of risk comes from educating yourself on what resources, assets, skills, habits, and ways of thinking you need in order to achieve your desired goal. When we educate ourselves on the risks involved in taking an action, understand the consequences, potential for success, then choose to take the risky action anyway, we ascertain how to minimize the risks where practical. This allows you to be clear in your decision making and ripe for being in the right places, at the right times.
Talk To Strangers: contrary to what we were taught as kids, consequential strangers anchor us in the world and give us a sense of belonging to something larger than ourselves. When we avoid and ignore those that aren’t like us, it becomes easier and numbingly convenient to strip away the human nature that connect us all. Which in my opinion, is far more dangerous than any discomfort you could come have from starting a conversation with a stranger. Ultimately, talking to strangers enhances and enriches our lives by offering opportunities for new experiences and information that is typically the purview of our inner circles.
Do It Now: all too often we procrastinate or fail to take action when we need to. Putting off tasks or responsibilities is self sabotage when you know that the inaction will have a negative effect on your quality of life, well being, or future. Taking the, “do it now” approach in life enables us to build a habit of honoring our word not only to ourselves, but to others.
Although fate presents us all with opportunities that can change the trajectory of our lives, relying too heavily on fate to carry you through life will result in many unpleasant or unfulfilling outcomes. We must be cautious to throw our inhibitions to the wind and say “whatever’s meant to be, will be.” Instead, we can trust our instincts, be authentic with ourselves and consequently others, write the vision and make it plain, take educated risks, talk to strangers, and take action now in order to seize life’s fateful opportunities and take more responsibility for our own destiny. Whether you believe in a higher power, synchronicity, or fate, it is our duty to be responsible for ourselves and our future by meeting fate halfway.
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