Destiny versus Effort

I know many of you have already read the book Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything. I’ve only just read it and now it’s my turn to rave about this book.  For those of you who haven’t read it, it is a true story of Elizabeth’s climb out of a messy divorce and her trips to Italy, Bali and an Ashram in India to, in summary, find herself. 

The wonder of this book is that it is written in a delightful style which is honest, easy to read but very thought provoking.  What has me raving is the many life gems within it, written in a sensible practical and easy to understand way.  Today I will share with you from her book Eat Pray Love, her thoughts on the balance between destiny and action.  Do we just let life happen and take the attitude that it’s all meant to be or should we “make” things happen, get out there and go do it?  Here are Elizabeth’s words:

Destiny, I feel, is a relationship – a play between divine grace and willful self-effort. Half of it you have no control over; half of it is absolutely in your hands, and your actions will show measurable consequence. Man is neither entirely a puppet of the gods, nor is he entirely the captain of his own destiny; he’s a little of both. We gallop through our lives like circus performers balancing on two speeding side-by-side horses-one foot is on the horse called “fate,” the other on the horse called “free will.” And the question you have to ask every day is-which horse is which? Which horse do I need to stop worrying about because it’s not under my control, and which do I need to steer with concentrated effort?

There is so much about my fate that I cannot control, but other things do fall under my jurisdiction.  There are certain lottery tickets I can buy, thereby increasing my odds of finding contentment.  I can decide how I spend my time, whom I interact with, whom I share my body and life and money and energy with.  I can select what I eat and read and study.  I can choose how I’m going to regard unfortunate circumstances in my life – whether I will see them as curses or opportunities

(and on the occasions when I can’t rise to the most optimistic viewpoint, because I’m feeling too damn sorry for myself, I can choose to keep trying to change my outlook).  I can choose my words and the tone of voice in which I speak to others.  And most of all, I can choose my thoughts.

Committed: A Sceptic Makes Peace with Marriage - Elizabeth’s sequel to Eat  Pray  Love. It explores what is marriage, where did it come from and how she arrived at a place of peace with this topic in order to get married again.