Destiny and Fate are two subjects that are commonly confused. Both of these terms are often used interchangeably in conversation but what is the difference between destiny and fate? Is there a difference between destiny vs. fate? There are some significant differences between the concepts and they should be seen as different paths. If you are interested in discovering if you are pursuing your destiny or you are pursuing your fate in your search for self-actualization and even beyond, read on to find out more about how you can adjust your goals and recognize the difference between these concepts.
This article will explain the differences between destiny and fate, summarize in detail what each concept means, the nature of control in human life and how you can work towards fulfilling your personal destiny (is it really possible?). To find out the answers to some of these top questions, let’s dive in.
The Definition Of Destiny
Destiny is a concept that is derived from “Destinare”, a Latin word. At its core, the concept of destiny refers to the idea that there are predetermined events in our lives, but our destiny is a concept that we have the power to shape and change. Destiny gives us the choice to hone qualities like compassion, courage, and willpower or to stay the course to change our destiny when we feel as though we are heading towards something important, to maintain our determination towards our goals, whatever they may be.
From a spiritual perspective, destiny plays a role in determining our life path. Our destiny spiritually is often defined by what we feel makes a good life or actions that are perceived as valuable for our spiritual cause. When we choose to follow our spiritual nature, spiritual character, and our true calling, we can begin to shape our future and our destiny alongside it. Destiny is a concept that can continue to change with our understanding of our path or our spiritual journey. Rather than letting things simply happen in life, the concept of destiny has us making the moves and actively working towards our goal of fulfillment. When someone fulfills their destiny, they are often overcome with a feeling of maturity and accomplishment at some level. This accomplishment can often come on in the form of reaching a new level of spirituality, mental or emotional acclaim, and a strong feeling of spiritual connectedness to the world.
The Definition Of Fate
Fate is a concept that comes from the word “Fatum” in Latin which means “That which has been spoken”. The basic translation regarding fate is that our lives have a predetermined path. Fate has been regularly described throughout stories, religion and more. The idea of fate suggests that from the moment we are born, we have a path that we were bound to follow, our accomplishments, our death, our highs and our lows are all part of the natural order in our universe. Fate for each person is not a concept that can be changed. For the universe to remain in balance, the journey that a person takes will need to continue to stay on the path the universe created for them.
Throughout history, the idea of fate has had people seeking the spiritual dimension within them, spiritual answers, and working towards worshiping the path the universe puts out for us. Ancient Romans and Greeks even had Three fates called Atropos, Lachesis, and Clotho that were worshipped for their ability to determine a person’s full life path.
Living life from a fatalist perspective or trusting that fate is guiding you, can sometimes produce some negative connotations in your life. If you are following the path of fate, you can feel like you have no control When a bad thing happens, it feels like it was the universe punishing you. Sealing your fate can feel constantly undesirable if you are going down a path that gives you a strong pull, but you end up experiencing negativity. How can one see the bigger picture and fully accept that every ‘good’ or ‘bad’ is a form of life that was exactly written for you?
It can be difficult to trust in your fate from a spiritual perspective as well. If we continue to wait for signs or we are constantly working to reconnect with our balance in the universe, we can feel very stuck spiritually. Trusting your life journey primarily to fate basically means handing the reigns over to unforeseen forces or letting the people around you dictate your path. With a perspective in fate, we don’t ever evolve, we don’t focus on positive change, what happens, just happens.
The Differences Between Destiny And Fate
At the core difference between these two concepts comes the more rigid perspective of fate vs the more flexible idea of destiny. Destiny is more clearly defined as the path you feel you were meant to take. Fate is a concept of what the universe will do to balance itself when you don’t take the path that was predetermined for you. Fate accepts that you have had a path laid out for you across the ages, whereas destiny assumes you are the master of your own path.
Following your destiny starts by making conscious decisions to seek it out or evolve to fulfill it. Fate often occurs when you are constantly waiting for something to happen or letting other people influence external circumstances in your life. If you are constantly waiting for the sign from the universe from fate, you are likely to be more open to suggestion from the people influencing you. With destiny, you forge your own path, you don’t need to list to influence and you are the one who can shape your journey without the outside influence.
Do We Have Any Control?
When many people look at the concept of destiny it is with the mindset that we should be striving towards what is good for us. Our destiny is somewhat predetermined as following the path can often mean striving towards an accomplishment or feeling our best by fulfilling our destiny. A destiny can often feel predetermined in the idea that we may feel destined to have a family, but its not as free of control as a concept like fate.
There are going to be infinite possibilities and millions of choices that will shape your life. Focusing on control can be difficult at times but in order to fulfill your destiny, you need to be a constant director of moving your life in a positive direction, as this inner connection will help you persevere.
We need to have choice and control but not everyone has the sense of self to maintain control over the most important decisions. Control can often be a paradox in modern society as we get weighed down with responsibility and influence that can make us feel free of control. Proactively working at looking at our life’s journey, thinking about our destiny and the path that we are on is the only way that we will maintain our control and one day fulfill your destiny.
Tips On Fulfilling Your Destiny
It can be extremely easy for us to adjust our priorities in life and feel as though we are stuck in a consistent routine of influence from outside factors. Taking a look introspectively from time to time and assessing if you are working towards your goals and potential remains important. We need to constantly work on our personal growth, evolving, learning, and working towards greater goals so that we can fulfil our destinies.
Here are some tips on how you can fulfill your destiny, rather than get stuck spinning your wheels:
1. Step Out Of Your Comfort Zone From Time To Time
Some of the largest changes in our lives often occur when we take a big step outside of our comfort zone. It can be extremely terrifying to take a leap of faith, but if you listen to your intuition and logic, you can find the perfect opportunities to have new experiences and find new passions. Whatever it is out there that is right for, is just waiting for you to find it, what you seek is seeking you.
2. Stop Limiting
We inevitably experience sometimes emotions like insecurity, anger, shame, anxiety, and more. These are limiting thoughts that can keep us from our destiny. When we are hard on ourselves and suggest that we don’t deserve to be happy, that we are stupid or unworthy, we will hold ourselves back from fulfilling our destiny. Stop limiting yourself and see the value in positive thinking, as it can build up a massive momentum that can change your life.
3. Find Inspiring People And Spend Time With Them
Judgemental people and negative influences in your life will hold you back and plant seeds of self doubt inside of you. Find the people that support you, improve the level of contact you have with people who have been positive influencers and seek out new and inspiring voices for your life to help you create an optimal environment for you to manifest what you want and is right for you.
4. Ask For Help When You Need It
It can be tough to face the world alone. The best part about fulfilling your destiny is you can take help from people around you in the process. And it doesn’t have to be a person, it could be great books, inspiring lectures, or even a great piece of music. If you need assistance, guidance, or even a supportive pep talk, seek out the help you need and thrive.
5. Create Your Goals
To fulfill your destiny you need to find it first. Think of some of your loftiest goals and spend some time breaking them down into milestones so that you can get more organized and prioritize what the most important goals on your path to fulfilling your destiny may be. Another major aspect of that is how to handle your failures.
Dwelling on a failure will continue to hold you back on your journey. Redefine your failures as learning opportunities. If something doesn’t work out for you, be ready to take a breath, learn from the experience and move on with what you have learned from the situation.
You only live once, you only have one life. Keep these ideas in mind for defining and fulfilling your destiny and remember that anyone can make fulfilling their destiny a priority today, to take an active decision to fulfill your destiny. And while you are following your inner compass, you’ll start to see how things around you change, as the exterior world is merely a reflection of your inner world, and of your spirit that is getting stronger every day.
