Curious about Fate: Do You Believe In It? Do We Have Any Control Over It? What Effect, If Any, Has It Had on Your Life?

Fate – definition: (1) A fixed decree by which the order of things is prescribed; the immutable law of the universe; inevitable necessity; the force by which all existence is determined and conditioned. (2) The element of chance in the affairs of life; the unforeseen and under-estimated conditions considered as a force shaping events; fortune.

“There is no such thing as accident; it is fate misnamed.” - Napoleon Bonaparte, French leader

“It is what a man thinks of himself that really determines his fate.” - Henry David Thoreau, American author

I picked “fate” for this week’s blog theme, because I strongly believe that our fate is controlled by our thoughts, beliefs and actions. I am adding yet another great business opportunity to my “Portfolio Career” and am truly excited about it.

Did it reveal itself because of fate? Yes! What about the Law of Attraction? Did I attract it to me? Yes! But it did not just show up. It was a combination of everything, and especially because of actions I have taken and continue to take.

Yes, I do feel that there may be some chance involved. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, American poet wrote, “Thy fate is the common fate of all; Into each life some rain must fall.”

However, it is how we relate to what happens to us. Franklin D. Roosevelt, American President, wrote, “Men are not prisoners of fate, but only prisoners of their own minds.”

Let’s examine what other experts have to say:

• “What separates the winners from the losers is how a person reacts to each new twist of fate.” - Donald Trump, American businessman“
• It is to be remarked that a good many people are born curiously unfitted for the fate waiting them on this earth.” - Joseph Conrad, Polish novelist
• “One life is all we have and we live it as we believe in living it. But to sacrifice what you are and to live without belief, that is a fate more terrible than dying.” - Joan of Arc, French celebrity
• “Fate loves the fearless.” - James Russell Lowell, American poet
• “How a person masters his fate is more important than what his fate is.” - Wilhelm von Humboldt, German educator

Some quotations with a bit of a twist:

• “Fate leads him who follows it, and drags him who resist.” – Plutarch, Greek philosopher
• “I never used to believe in fate. I used to think you make your own life and then you call it fate. That's why I call it irony.” - Gene Wilder, American actor
• “Character and fate are two words for the same thing.” – Novalis, German poet
• “Kisses are a better fate than wisdom.” - e. e. cummings, American poet
• “Man does not control his own fate. The women in his life do that for him.” - Groucho Marx, American comedian

And a couple for you to chew on this coming week:

“My fate cannot be mastered; it can only be collaborated with and thereby, to some extent, directed. Nor am I the captain of my soul; I am only its noisiest passenger.” - Aldous Huxley, English novelist

“Just because Fate doesn't deal you the right cards, it doesn't mean you should give up. It just means you have to play the cards you get to their maximum potential.” - Les Brown, American businessman

So, I ask you again, “Do you believe in fate? And how much control do you feel we have over it?” One part that I strongly believe in is that “What goes around comes around.” Is that fate or Karma, or are they really the same? Good questions to consider.