Discover Your Destiny

There is not one of us but has his appointed position, and we are verily ranged in ranks [for service].

Islam. Qur'an 37.164-65

All appointments are from Heaven, even that of a janitor.

Judaism. Talmud, Baba Batra 91b

Shall I not drink the cup which the Father has given me?

Christianity. John 18.11

Mencius said, "Though nothing happens that is not due to destiny, one accepts willingly only what is one's proper destiny. That is why he who
understands destiny does not stand under a wall on the verge of collapse.
He who dies after having done his best in following the Way dies according to his proper destiny. It is never anyone's proper destiny to die in fetters."

Confucianism. Mencius VII.A.2

The order that God has arranged, mortal man cannot upset.

African Traditional Religions. Akan Proverb (Ghana)

The concept of destiny permeates just about every doctrine in the world. Destiny means the purpose you were born into the world to fulfill. It is the idea that there are predetermined events in your life that will be encountered despite your best efforts to avoid them.

There has been a debate raging for centuries about two seemingly opposite concepts, that of destiny and that of free will. I have reconciled the two in my own theory of existence.

If we imagine a straight line, running from our birth, through our life to death, I would define that as destiny. If we imagine a sine wave running across that straight line, I'd define that as freewill.

When we follow our destiny things always seem to go right, "synchronicities" occur and everyone thinks we live a charmed life.

When we make choices that are out of alignment with our destiny, we have a break down, where things seem to conspire against us. Life seems hard and we say, "What's the use?"

But there is a corrective action, when we stray we are guided, sometimes gently and sometimes severely back to our purpose.

This isn't to be taken as a punishment, but rather a rebalancing.

I speak with people alot about the importance of following your destiny and also to look for the signs the Universe or God sends you to assist you in doing that.

Frequently I'm asked how you learn what your destiny is. With the passing of time, if we are observant, life itself will reveal clues as to the nature of your destiny, but you can get a jump start on it by looking at the aspects of your character.

The first is your values. You should make a list of the values you hold most near and dear to your heart. These are the values you absolutely will not compromise on.

Next, look at your passions. What are you passionate about? What hobbies, charities or causes, which segment of people? Perhaps you have a particular love of the aging, or of children, or maybe it's animals that really move you or even the environment. These are definite clues.

Finally, look at your talents. What are you good at? What do people compliment about you? Perhaps you are a great speaker, or teacher, or organizer. Perhaps you can manage projects really well.

Make lists of these things and then meditate on how they fit together. Once you start getting an idea, make sure that all of your choices are weighed against it.