What About Destiny?

When asked on national TV whether her enormous success was in part due to good luck Oprah answered: "I don't believe in luck; this is my destiny!"

It always amazes me when people talk like that. True, most "self-made" individuals owe their success for the most part thanks to their hard work, commitment, focus and a "never give up" attitude.

Still, no matter how you slice the pie, there is an ingredient in their success recipe that is completely out of their control, yet made it possible for them to become successful. That ingredient is "LUCK"; whether they believe in it or not.

Bill Gates became super successful when the giant IBM corporation hired his minuscule, unknown company called Microsoft, to develop a new operating system. Thanks to an incredibly stupid oversight from IBM's lawyers, IBM never claimed the developed software as their own. Bill got the biggest "lucky" break of his life and thanks to IBM's screw up, Microsoft became a global giant.

Luck! Whether you believe in it or not, is and always will be an intricate part of your success, no matter at what level. The state lotteries are prime examples there of. They don't require skill or education. The winner is just plain "lucky".

Luck is the one factor you have no control over that determines the extend of your destiny. Time and again there are plenty of examples of people who sail through life while others struggle. Yet those struggling most often work harder and with more commitment than those who are luckier.

Case in point: a friend of mine has always lived his life without a care. He motto is: "Life is a giant party!". Yet luck has smiled on him without end. The biggest luck factor in his life thus far is a multi-million dollar lifestyle he received as a "gift" from his mother-in-law.

I, on the other hand, took life seriously. I was ambitious and wanted to make something of myself. Although I have a nice comfortable life now, I am nowhere near to living the "easy" life my friend enjoys. I had to work extremely hard to reach my goals. I failed miserably at several businesses. I had enough setbacks to last several lifetimes.

This is not a statement based on jealousy. This is an observation that proves that destiny is a compilation of several factors, one of which is luck. And the more luck you have the greater your destiny will be.

When Oprah started her talk-show she was an unknown figure. Looking back at her early days she certainly wasn't a bombshell. No one, including Oprah, could have predicted that her show would become such an enormous success and make Oprah one of the richest women in the world.

In fact given the lifespan of new talk-shows in general, the chances for Oprah's show becoming yet another statistic where extremely high. Luck smiled on her big time and stood by her side, whether she believes in it or not.

Without luck in your life you will never succeed. Luck alone is not where success is at. Luck, however, is and always will be an intricate part of your destiny. A life without luck is a life of struggle.

I once heard a very rich man say these words: "To be successful in life you need three things: money, know-how and luck. And of these three things you need luck more than any other!"

In my humble opinion he's absolutely correct in his observation. Luck is the one key ingredient that the more you have of it the better your life will be and the greater you can make your destiny.

Luck! It's the one ace in the cards of life, that gives you more than you can ever phantom.

Take Inventory - Part II

The bar door swung wide open. In walked a distinguished, well dressed and handsome middle-age man. With confidence in his step he headed towards the bar, set down and ordered his drink: "Whiskey, single blend, dry, in a bucket..." he said with a brisk voice.... "... and pour one for yourself while you're at it!" he added.

Filling two glasses, the bartender pushed one towards the man, lifted his drink, took a sip and placed the glass back on the bar saying: "Thanks, to your health."

Just as the bartender was about to walk away the man on the stool cleared his throat and said: "Don't remember me now do you?"

Without waiting for an answer he continued: "It was two years ago today that I sat at this exact same spot having a drink with you. I was down and out. You shared a listening ear, gave me free drinks and offered me your life's experience.

Today I am back to thank you for your kindness. Today I am here to tell you that because of the time you took and because of what you told me, my life has changed in ways I could have never dreamed of. Sir, I lift my glass to you and salute you, for you are a noble man."

With that the man stood up from his stool, lifted his glass high in the air and clicked his heels. Then with one gesture and one gulp he consumed the whiskey.

No longer able to contain his curiosity the bartender asked: "Who are you? You must be mistaken... I don't remember telling a rich man my story... and I certainly don't remember giving him free drinks. You must have the wrong guy and the wrong bar?"

The man smiled. "No, no, this is the place and you are the doc. You told me how taking inventory of yourself made you discover your true heart's desires and who you really are. You are the man that made me take inventory of myself by sharing your story with me. I want you to know that I am forever thankful. You may not be a medical doctor anymore but as far as I am concerned you are far greater than that. You my friend, you heal lost souls and that's as good as it gets."

Then the bartender's face lit up: "Yes, indeed, now I remember. You were the guy ready to kill himself and got mad because you thought I was helping you by offering you free drinks. By golly, sure looks to me like everything certainly worked out magnificently for you .... What happened?"

Then the man told his story:

"Two years ago you told me how you took inventory of your life and how in doing so you discovered true happiness and true living. That same day I went home and did the same thing. I wrote down everything I truly love. You know, the things that give you joy. I discovered that what really makes me happy is building wooden toys.

I decided, just like you did, that was exactly what I was going to do. So, I carved a few wooden toys right on my kitchen table. I took them to orphanages and children medical centers and shared them with the kids. I can still see the children's eyes light up when I gave them my home-made wooden toys. The smiles in their faces brought tears to my eyes. I knew I was finally doing what I was suppose to be doing.

Funny how money all of a sudden didn't matter anymore. Money was no longer my #1 concern. Making children happy and building wooden toys was...

One day, while visiting one of those centers to leave my toys, a well-dressed, well-groomed man approached me. He told me that he often came to visit this place. He said he'd seen the wooden toys and how much the children loved them. Then he told me something that made my mouth drop and changed my life forever.

He said: "I'd like to propose a partnership with you. I'd like to invest in your toys. I want you to make more of these wonderful toys and share them with more children in need. I want to offer you five million dollars."

The rest as they say, doc, is history... My life hasn't been the same since and... I owe it all to you."

The doc and the man became best of friends over the years. The wooden toys are now sold in every toy store around the world. The company is the largest wooden toy manufacturer in the world. Staying true to his heart's desire, every year, the toymaker sees to it that five million pieces, are handed out to orphanages and children's hospitals around the world.

Because of privacy issues I am not at privilege to share names. What I can share with you is that this is a true story. And miracles like this will happen to you too when you are willing to listen to and follow the direction of your soul.

Take inventory of your life. Cast off all that you dislike. Keep only what makes you truly happy and persue that dream with an undying thirst to help and serve others.

It is absolutely amazing the miracles that come into your own life when you live life following YOUR heart. Don't be afraid to go for it. The doc and the man did and both share lives that fulfill each other completely.

There is absolutely no reason you can't live a fulfilling life. All you have to do it Take Inventory....

Take Inventory:

After 18 years of trying, the verdict was in: Pete was a failure! There was just no two ways about it. Everything he had done, every job he ever held and every business he ever started crumbled to dust. On top of that he managed to create over a million dollars in personal debts. As far as Pete was concerned, there was only one way out...

Problem was that Pete wasn't the most courages guy and although suicide had definitely preoccupied his mind, he just couldn't get himself to do it. Oh!; he had gotten close but never made it final.

As far as Pete saw it he really was a failure. He couldn't even do the one act that would let his wife enjoy a better life. After all, the insurance policy was probably just about the only thing Pete had ever done right in his life. Now that he wanted his wife to have the benefits from it, he couldn't even give her that.

No longer in touch with the world, Pete wondered around aimlessly. Unshaven, unwashed and feeling completely desponded, Pete entered a local pub. "Hit me none stop!" he told the bartender. "Maybe when I am stone drunk I'll be able to throw myself under a truck!" he added.

Pouring Pete's drink, the bartender said: "This one is on me! Looks like you could use it too!" Surprised, Pete looked up and gazed into the smiling eyes of the man who just offered him a drink.

Taking the drink, Pete gushed it down, slammed the glass on the counter and in between two quick breaths uttered: "Thanks, now hit me again!"

Once again the bartender filled his glass and once again the bartender said what he had said the first time. Once again, Pete took the drink, swallowed it and once again repeated what he said before.

Just as he had done already twice, the bartender once again filled Pete's glass and repeated his words: "This one is on me! Looks like you could use it too!"

Pete looked up to the man, gazed into his smiling face and said: "What are you doing? You really think I want to kill myself? I want to live man, I just don't know how!"

Quietly the bartender responded: "Life sometimes fights us because we are doing what we are not suppose to be doing! I know. I wanted to be a doctor. I studied and studied as hard as I could. I did several years twice. Eventually I was a doctor. I started a practice that turned out successful. But every day I became more and more unhappy to the point that I didn't want to see sick people anymore. Things got so bad, I actually hated being a doctor."

Listening intently Pete inquired: "So, what did you do? How did you get out from under it? Did you find your life's calling?"

The bartender smiled, filled Pete's glass half-way and said: "This one you have to pay for.... I took a long hard look at myself; not my outside, but my inside. I spent weeks analyzing what made me tick, you know, what makes me want to get up in the morning; what makes me happy."

Taking a sip from his glass Pete glazed up to the man and said: "...And... were you able to figure it out? I mean, you're a bartender now... Is that what makes you happy?"

Quietly the bartender continued: "Well, actually, I own this place but to answer your question, yes, this is what makes me really happy. I like talking to people, I like to laugh, I like singing and telling jokes and I like listening to others telling me their problems. Come to think of it, I guess I am still a doctor. I am a bartender doctor."

"How did you do it?" Pete asked. "Come on doc, tell me, how?"

"For one whole week I wrote down everything about me that I liked; not because I had too or society expected it from me, no, I mean, who and what I was, you know, the real me. I discovered that I tried to live up to someone else's expectations but not my own. I realized that I tried living other people's lives but not mine."

Taking another quick sip Pete inquired: "So, what did you do?"

"Well, I decided I needed to live my life. I needed to do what made me happy. I needed to be me! So.... I hung up my doctor's hat, bought this place and .... the rest is history as they say. That was 9 years ago. It's the best thing I ever did. My life couldn't be more fulfilling... even though I make a lot less money now!"

Gushing down his drink, Pete slammed his money on the table and yelled: "Doc, you got a new customer, that's a promise. But now I got to go home, tell my wife I love her and take inventory of my life. Once I figure out what makes me tick I too will go for it, just like you did. I'll be back to let you know, that's a promise too!"

With that Pete rushed out the bar and did exactly what he told the bartender he would do.



..... to be continued .....