— Winston Churchill

Destiny carries with it an unfortunate connotation. It sounds pre-determined, unchangeable, and inactive. Some people tend to think of destiny in the same way the main character sees her fate in the opera Carmen. She reads in the tarot cards that she’s going to die, and what happens? She dies. Not a darn thing she can do about it. It’s her destiny.

That’s not reality. What you choose to do every single minute of every single day shapes your destiny. Don’t sit around like Carmen in front of the bull ring waiting for destiny to come upon you. Choose your destiny before it chooses you.

Winston Churchill said destiny is a thing to be achieved because it takes real effort to fulfill your destiny. You can’t sit around waiting for destiny to show up. You must act. It’s time to own up to what is going on in your life today. What are you doing to steer the boat? Did you throw your life into cruise control a long time ago, or are you actively pointing yourself in the direction you want to travel?

Your assignment today is to take one step toward achieving your destiny. Chart your course. Look at your list of dreams and pick one thing you want to achieve by the end of this year. Congratulations! You have a destination and a timeframe. Now, what can you do to launch your journey? Is it compiling a list of recruiters to call? Is it getting on the Internet to search for a long-lost friend? You don’t have to reach your destination today. Just start the journey. Soon your destiny will be clear.

DAY

6

“To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream, not only plan, but also believe.”

 — Anatole France

You are destined to do great things in your life. It is okay to believe that. It’s true. In order to accomplish great things you must start small and think big. Allow yourself to imagine the impossible. You may start with a phrase like, “I would like a job I enjoy going to every day.” That’s a great dream. Now go bigger. Try something like, “I would like to be an influential person.”