Morning Motivation: Your Destiny Is in Your Own Hands

I teach an Organizational Communication course at a local university, and one of the topics we discuss is the power of words. It is easy to get into a habit of telling ourselves and other people what we “have” to do, as if our true desires have somehow been denied or defeated by life. Here are some examples:

• “I have to get ready for work, then I have to drive to work, then I have to go to three meetings, then I have to go to a lunch meeting…
• “I have to study for a test, then I have to do three assignments, then I have to start researching for a paper due next week…”
• “I have to pick up the dry cleaning, then I have to get the kids, then I have to make dinner, then I have to clean up…”

You don’t really “have” to do anything! In each moment, you are making powerful choices about what you want. You weigh the potential legal, social, physical, financial, and other consequences of your alternatives, and you choose which one you want. The exact same “have to” plans for the day have a different impact when consciously acknowledging the power of personal choice:

• “I choose to get ready for work, then I choose to drive to work, then I choose to go to three meetings, then I choose to go to a lunch meeting…
• “I choose to study for a test, then I choose to do three assignments, then I choose to start researching for a paper due next week…”
• “I choose to pick up the dry cleaning, then I choose to get the kids, then I choose to make dinner, then I choose to clean up…”

The spiritual Teachings consistently tell us that we have free will. For example, the Eight Immortals of Taoism states, “The sense of one’s destiny being in one’s own hands in central to the Eight Immortals stories.” Similarly, the African book Of Water and the Spirit states, “I had also learned that the world of the self in the universe of these elders was autonomous.” Nothing in this material world has drained away the free will given to you by the Divine! On Memorial Day today, many people will already be starting to dread going back to work, school, or the normal Monday-Friday routine tomorrow. If you ever feel sad or demoralized because of the things you “have” to do, may you be empowered to remember that every item on your to-do list reflects your own power of choice. Your destiny is in your own hands! To read other motivational and inspirational thoughts throughout the day, follow me on Twitter: twitter.com/DrDebBrown