Biography is NOT Destiny

POSTED JUNE 1, 2016 - by Dina Silver

You are not your past. The past occurred, it has happened.  Some of it -- both the good stuff and the bad -- was out of your control and due to circumstances of birth and genetics.  Some of it you may have caused or influenced. Your past may have been luxurious and loving and you assume the world will sumptuously roll out in front of you like the red carpet at the Oscars.  Your past may have been challenging, full of privation and emotional trauma and you believe your future story will look a lot like past chapters, regardless of your efforts.

Neither is true, and if we simply look around, we know this is so. We see people who have ‘everything’ squander their lives, plow through fortunes, and take bitterness and entitlement to excruciating new levels.  And we see people overcome the most wretched beginnings create lives of meaning, contribution, love and abundance.

What is absolutely true is that your attitude about the impact of your past on your ability to create a life that you love, is fundamental.  And the great thing about attitude is that you can choose it.

Attitude is choice.  You can carry a chip on your shoulder or decide not to.  You can choose to forgive or you can stay in anger.  You can choose to tackle the challenges in your life, or you can curl up fetal on the couch and give up.  You can choose to be loving even when loving has created pain.  You can choose to be kind even when there is no good reason to do so.

Having a positive attitude is not a guarantee that you will get the life you want.  But it is the only place to start.  You cannot move through hardship with a bad attitude and expect good to come your way.  The universe just isn’t lined up to support your negativity with positive outcome.  You cannot expect to create joy from sorrow without forgiving yourself and those involved in causing your sadness or the sadness of others. You cannot make money if you hold an assumption that you do not deserve to live an abundant life. You cannot find love until you choose to recognize how very loveable you are.

Once you have adjusted your attitude by choosing to move forward with as much grace, self acceptance, kindness and fortitude as you can muster, then you must make sure you are absolutely clear exactly what it is you intend to lean toward. Clarity is essential—how can you head toward a destination that has no coordinates.

And even if your destination continues to seem distant and elusive, the journey is your attitude, and that is entirely in your control.