Warrior Consulting

I was in Galway at the weekend. I was set to give a seminar to students and lecturers on the Creative Power of Positive Thought, ironically enough. Unfortunately, there was a fire in the college and the electricity was knocked off across the campus. As a result the seminar was canceled and no amount of positive thinking was going to put it back on.
I spoke with an inspirational lady who had been my contact in the college on the phone. She was commiserating with me at the cancellation.
However, I was feeling kind of philosophical at the time, having had a wonderful weekend with my wife and a couple of really close friends who were home for the long weekend. So, while I was disappointed, I chose not to get stressed over it.
Wishing to convey this mellow attitude to the lady, I said:
“Sure, everything happens for a reason…. I don’t believe in coincidence, anyway…”
Now, usually you would expect a “How true” reply, or at the very least a dubious nod, hiding an internal exclamation of “Weirdo!!” … But no, not on this occasion! The reply I received was:
“Oh, I’m the opposite…. I don’t believe in Fate”
To which I thought to myself, “Well, neither do I”, at least not in the traditional sense of being at its mercy. Perhaps she had misunderstood or perhaps I had misrepresented my opinion. Either way, it was her comment that made her a inspiration to me, because as a result I felt compelled to address my attitude to Fate.
I figure that as human beings we have the unique characteristic; Free Will. It’s what sets us apart from the animals. God gave it to us and he sure meant for us to use it. The majority of the time we do, but unconsciously. We react to situations that arise rather than consciously being aware of circumstances, identifying their potential consequences and choosing an appropriate response.
 

Unconscious use of our Free Will is like sitting on a couch watching the TV. All our muscles still work, but there must be a stimulus to which they react:
“Am Hungry”…. “Must get up and get a bag of nachos from the press!!”
Or:
“This show is boring”.. “Engage thumb to change channel with the remote”
Conscious use of our Free Will, on the other hand, is like going to the gym. There are machines for every muscle grouping. We know that this machine requires us to use these muscles and that these are the benefits of this exercise. It is focused and we need to have a keen awareness around our balance, breathing and posture in order to get the best results from our time there. 
Likewise, developing a keen awareness around the use of our Free Will ensures we get the best results from the decisions we make.
Free Will is just like a muscle. If we don’t use it we lose it.
The more we use it, the better we get at using it. The better we get at using it, the more we recognise about the circumstances surrounding its use. The more aware we are of our circumstances, the more we build a catalogue of appropriate responses. The more responses we have, the more effective we become at flexing our Free Will muscles.
Fate, to my mind, is the lady that provides me with the opportunities to flex these Free Will muscles. She facilitates a set of circumstances. What happens next is up to me and depends on a number of factors:

• My alertness to the circumstance and what it means to me
• What’s going on right now?
• How do I feel about it?
• What do I want to learn from this situation?
• My attitude to choice
• Do I have one or not?
• My will to decide and follow through
• Do I want to lead or follow?

So, rather than there being a polar opposition between Fate and Free Will, I believe one facilitates the development of the other. All that is required is awareness around both. Simple! Huh?
Think about it though! “Stuff” happens everyday… every minute or more precisely every moment we’re awake and, some might argue, when we’re asleep too!
We can choose to drift, oblivious to what’s going on around us, or we can stay awake and ask “What now?”
 
I believe it’s not what happens to us, but the way we respond that makes us who we are. 
Personally, I think Fate has got a bum rap over the years. She seems to have this reputation as the “Great Destroyer”. I prefer to see her as the “Great Facilitator”.
Look out for Fate everyday. Listen for her whispers in your ear. It could be a chance encounter or the words of a work colleague. Once you recognise her voice you’ll see just how much time she’s spending with you. When you truly hear what she’s saying you’ll realise she’s only presenting you with the opportunity of experience. What you do next dictates whether you drift or drive through life.
The choice is yours.