The Secret to Unlocking Your Destiny
Joseph Campbell wrote, “What each must seek in his life never was on land or sea. It is something out of his own unique potentiality for experience, something that never has been and never could have been experienced by someone else.”
We are unique.
Our potential for experience is unique.
Therefore, at any given moment, we can put ourselves in the way of our destiny, so to speak.
Unfortunately, many of us resist the very idea that we have unique gifts and talents to offer the world. Along our journey through life, we’ve been discouraged from pursuing our dreams, so we’ve simply dropped them along the side of the road, and forgotten about them. What many of us don’t realize is that those dreams are still there inside of us, and in order to lead a fulfilling life, we need to go back to the various crossroads in our lives and retrieve these shattered visions and bring them back to life.
Dr. Robert. J. Vallerand from the University of Quebec conducted research in which he determined that fifteen to twenty-percent of people do not have identifiable passion. He defines passion “…as a strong inclination toward a self-defining activity that one likes (or even loves), finds important (or highly values), and in which one invests time and energy.” All successful people have this in common. What makes them successful is that they have in one way or another stumbled upon this gold mine of life’s riches — they have found their unique voice and a way to express it.
Essentially, everyone who writes about success principles is saying the same thing. On the surface, it appears as though a plain and simple, rather commonplace idea is being put forth. However, upon closer examination, it is clear that, in fact, one of the most powerful bits of knowledge and wisdom is being imparted with a handful of words — success is as simply as finding what you love and making your life about that. Period. If you enjoy doing something, more than likely, you’ll want to share your joy with others, and the world will also benefit.
Emerson called this tendency self-reliance. Because, instead of trying to find happiness and success outside of ourselves, we discover that it comes from within. Those who have searched for it have found that it’s been there all along.
Waiting to be activated.
Waiting to be shared.
Waiting to manifest.
Why haven’t we all discovered it then?
Why aren’t we all doing it?
There are as many reasons as there are people who are living unfulfilled lives.
Primarily, we resist because we’re afraid of change. We’re used to our habits and ways of doing things, and like it or not, we’re comfortable there. Or it feels too difficult or overwhelming. Or we think we’re not entitled to have what we really want. Another reason is that we are so enmeshed with obligations and responsibilities, we don’t take the time to even think about it.
However, it makes so much sense to start with what you love, because the rest of it will fall into place with much less struggle and strife. In countless interviews, successful people bask in the glow of pleasure while admitting they’re paid to “do what they love”.
There is nothing is more powerful than a person who knows what he or she wants.
True inner power is the result of a feeling that one has found his or her place in the world, and that he or she is making a worthwhile contribution to it. There is a free flow of energy with this type of power, and one is in a position of both giving and receiving at the same time, taking care of the human need to not only receive love but to express it as well. There is no lack here. And incredible things happen when someone arrives at this place: people, money and opportunities tend to move toward them in a magnetic way. So much energy is being generated by such a person, that he/she often becomes a conduit for others’ success.
From today forward, consider yourself on a mission to recover your destiny.
It is a puzzle with interlocking parts, which need to be pieced together in order for you to live out the rest of your life in a meaningful way. The puzzle pieces may be scattered near and far. But they are never lost forever. Perhaps this book can help you find them.
Years ago, I read a book called, The Master Game. In it, the author compared life to a game and he challenged the reader to find a game worth playing, a life worth living. It’s a challenge I took seriously. My entire adult life has been devoted to finding a game worth playing. The Master Game, as I see it, is a game in which you are the master of your own destiny.
Finding your passion is the first step in taking charge of your life. This is where your strength and power lies. There is a tremendous amount of energy around our desires and our passions. By immersing ourselves in that energy, we find that we can overcome numerous fears and problems which have thus far prevented us from living a fulfilling life.
