Luke Mitchell as John Young in The Tomorrow People, Season 1, Episode 7, “Limbo,” written by Nicholas Wootton and Micah Schraft
What this quote means for business:
Yep, its another quote from a science fiction show … and a doozy, too. I’ve always believed that there is destiny … the over-arching theme of your life, the “big picture” view, as it were, of why you were born and continue to breath … and that there is fate … the details of how you fulfill your destiny. In my belief system, you can’t escape destiny, but you can change fate.
Not everyone agrees with me … and that’s O.K.
This quote gave me another layer to add to my belief system: Yes, you can’t change your destiny … but you can fail to fulfill it.
And how sad that would be to fail it. And yet, I know it happens all the time.
People don’t fulfill their destiny for a variety of reasons, many of them false, weak or just plain silly:
- Fear … of what others will say, of not being good enough, of being a fraud, etc.
- Laziness … they let good enough get in the way of great, they settle for OK when they could have spectacular with just a bit more effort
- Choice … they let the wants, needs or desires of others derail them from their path
These are all very bad reasons to not fulfill your destiny.
Fear is an emotion that our brain uses to accomplish one of two goals: protect you from actual harm (like lions, tigers and bears, oh my!); or to protect you from change and the unknown. If fear is your excuse, which fear is stopping you? Are you afraid of something real? Or something imagined?
Isaac Asimov once said something to the effect that humans are so lazy that they will expend a great deal of energy so they don’t have to. Are you taking the easy road? Are you settling for OK or good enough? If laziness is keeping you from your destiny, why are you avoiding the extra effort that could take your life onto the next level?
When we don’t shine our light, we give others permission to be dimmed, as well. If you’ve made the choice not to pursue your destiny because you are taking care of others in some way, think about this: Are you really serving them by not being your most brilliant self? Have you considered that they cannot fulfill their destiny unless you fulfill yours? Do you think it is possible that by depriving the world of your light, you are making it harder for others to see?
So now I ask you: Are you going to fulfill or fail your destiny?
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