I’m a movie buff. Have been since I was a young boy and, with my little brother in tow each weekend when I’d saved up enough pocket money I would walk the couple of miles to our nearest video shop (there weren’t many back then, that’s how old I am) to browse the walls of new films in the hope of finding something to keep us entertained.
I remember watching Terminator 2 for the first time during my rebellious “guns’n’roses” phase and so a fantastic action film with a kick-ass sound track that I was probably too young to watch was just what the doctor ordered.
But as well as all of the explosions and robots, there was the story thread about timetravel, and in particular, the inescapable and immutable nature of the future. The phrase “no fate but what we make” resonated with me then as it continues to now, and it was last week in a quiet moment that it came to mind again.
As we reflect on the political changes currently underway across the world, and consider their impact for the coming years, many commentators have taken to concluding great and terrible things, all in the service of chasing a memorable and copy-worthy headline.
But how much of the future is pre-destined, if any? Surely we have within us all the ability to write our own destiny, albeit within a wider context to which we contribute. Nothing is set in stone, because by its nature the future hasn’t happened yet, and every decision we reach, every choice we make, doesn’t so much select one of a number of given paths as it writes our present onto a clean piece of paper. And we hold the pen, so decide what that story is, where that path leads.
In a connected world of more information that we can realistically consume, it’s all too easy to want to relinquish control to powers beyond ourselves. Abdication of responsibility grants freedom of action without accountability, which in a busy world is extremely desirable. But what if elect to spend a few less moments bemoaning our fate, and instead focus that energy on creating that fate we seek. Ghandi is (over)quoted as saying “be the change you want to see in the world”. Yet how prepared are we to fight for it?
As we head towards the end of the year, I am looking for more ways to regain control of the things that I can influence. I wonder, what fate can you make?
If you’re interested in learning to shape your own destiny, why not talk to us at Willow Ethos and see where executive coaching can take you next.
