Can You Plan Destiny?
Tuesday, November 23, 2010 at 8:02 AM 
My last post ended with the words, "I'm off to plan my destiny." Can one really plan their own destiny? I truly love the idea of letting go and allowing surprise to happen. I am also discovering that my nature actually enjoys some discipline in the process of going with the flow. Impossible? Well, consider this: a river has banks; the oceans have shores; showers have stalls. Even where water is concerned there are some boundaries.
For the last couple of weeks (since attending the fabulous DiLoPi workshop), I have created a lovely rhythm for my days. In the past, I've typically awakened without alarm, structured my schedule around "official" appointments and hoped I would accomplish all of the other things I wanted to do during the time in between. What I found was there was never much (if any) time to work on my passions. In other words, going with the flow allowed my dreams to get washed down the drain or at least soaked to the bone. The rhythm I established looked something like this:
Meditate
Morning pages
Book writing
Get ready for work
"Official" Meetings
Exercise
Creative work
Family time
Read & Rest
What I found was there was almost always time for everything and then some. By setting both specific times to do things and holding to the boundaries, my satisfaction level, as well as my productivity, went way up! So, why am I talking about this in past tense? Because Sunday, I failed to set up the boundaries and decided to go with the flow. Big mistake!! I made it through my first two items beautifully and then frittered away the rest of the day. I ended up feeling like a slug and just a pinch of salt could dissolve all of the goodwill I'd been developing toward myself for the last several weeks. Geez Louise, it's so easy to slip into old patterns! And, once I'm aware of what I'm doing, it's possible to dry myself off and jump back in the flow.
Planning my destiny? How about if I start by planning one moment at a time? I'll let you know how that goes.
So... what are you planning today?
photos ©Ireland, 2009
Reader Comments (2)
Oh I so know that slug-like feeling - although sometimes I really enjoy and feel energised by a good fritter. Maybe it's something around the difference between frittering when you need it and frittering for avoidance.
And isn't 'fritter' a lovely word? :-)
On whether you can plan destiny, we have discussions in our Enneagram groups around things such as practising our virtues. There's a Christian notion that only God can bestow grace, and some people get heated about that and say we can only wait for grace to be granted us, we have no control.
I certainly don't think we are in perfect control of our lives, but I like your river bank analogy. I also sometimes paraphrase something Quentin Crisp once said: we have to lean out so God can see us.
tess - you've made up for being away so long with this tasty response! yes, "fritter" is a lovely word & i agree about the difference between needing it and using it to avoid. that's where i'm trying to find the flow.
and "we have to lean out so God can see us". I LOVE this!!!! thanks for stopping by. i've missed you and hope your days are being spent with lots of delicious goodness!!!
xoxoxo