Lift your index finger.
Did you use your free-will to do that, or was that action predetermined and completely out of your control?
If you believe in fate then you would agree with me that you were destined to be reading this sentence — it is all a part of a “plan”…
If that is the case, then you are just an observer of your thoughts and any decision you make is just being executed like a script.
What a terrifying life we are living then; we have no responsibility over our actions and we’re just being controlled like puppets!
Assuming you believe that you are in control when you decided to lift your index finger, let’s dissect a more complex event, featuring our test subject by the name of John.
John wakes up at 7:00AM from an alarm he set the night before (his choice).
John decides on the outfit he’s going to wear and get ready for work (his choice).
John leaves the house exactly at 7:47, slight later than usual because he CHOSE to browse his phone for a little longer during his morning breakfast (his choice).
John walks around the block (his choice) and waits for the light to turn green to cross the intersection (also his choice). While crossing the road (by his own choice) a sleepy driver fails to notice the intersection and slams into John, sending him flying across the intersection.
Conclusion: John is unlucky and there’s absolutely nothing he could have done to prevent the situation… in theory. Although this example is not too elegant, we could pause the story at any moment and John COULD make a different decision, for example setting the alarm at 7:05AM. The series of events would result him leaving the house later and not crossing paths with the sleepy driver.
Although John did not INTEND to get hit by a car when he woke up in the morning, the series of actions he chose resulted in him meeting paths with the sleepy driver. On a macro scale it seems like fate is at play and John is overall unlucky, but if we dissect each individual action, it totally makes sense how John got hit by the driver.
On an alternative path, we dissect the actions of the sleepy driver and derive the origin of the accident stemming from a few actions he made earlier.
We can apply this same model to any situation to observe how any seemingly complex event breaks apart into a series of free-willed actions and a combination of logical cause-and-effect events. Let’s say a meteor hits the planet and you die… unlucky? Perhaps… There were very few factors you could have influenced, and if I told you that you COULD do something about it, you probably would.
How can we apply this model? Once we shift our perspective from “it’s just luck” to “I CAN do something about it”, life becomes much more interactive and you begin to realize that “fate” is in your hands… or shall I say… your index fingers. It simply NEVER hurts to be in the mindset of trying to “free-will” your life. Start seeing everything as solvable, changeable, and attainable — you’ll get much further in life. Trace every event to your own decisions and you will quickly stop being a victim to “fate”.
Now make the conscious, free-willed decision to do something great :)
Peace and love. ABOUT ME
Yan Katcharovski (@yankatch) is a venture capitalist, business strategist, and mindset visionary. Starting his career in non-for-profit, Yan is a leader and influencer of positive change and impact in both organizations and individuals alike. His ventures focus on Edtech, eCommerce, Blockchain, Marketing, and Investing. Yan serves as CEO of Katch Media Group, a Toronto-based full-service marketing agency, which lead to co-founding Schoolio Learning Inc. and the Real Estate Wealth Lab. Yan also serves as the CMO of Meatsmith.
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