Do you have control over the future?

As a chess player, you must predict what you see in front of you to win. You can anticipate your opponent’s next move, but everything you plan changes if it deviates from your expectation.  

In life, you have no control over your future. It’s not guaranteed in a written game plan that you will reach your destination if you follow a few simple rules. Aspects of the end are determined by what you do in life, and most of it lies in your choices. Overeating or drinking excessively affects your health later in life. Participating in extreme sports limits the length of your life every time you take a risk.

Certain future aspects can be shaped, and the younger you start, the better. Today’s youth become disenchanted very quickly with the opportunities they have. You can tell a young girl or boy that youth is fleeting, and they will disagree. Teenage years are like extended prison terms for many teens, and they feel trapped within a system where there seems no end to what is inflicted upon them.

The thing about shaping the future at a young age lies in the fact that you have more energy and enthusiasm. Important choices must be made regarding a career, a partner, and savings for the retirement years. Some options will have a long-term effect on you, while others will not affect you until much later. And while wise choices bring happiness, success, and security, unwise decisions can ruin a person’s life.

In school, students must write exams. The results determine whether they will advance to the next level of education. Given the memorandum before the test, a student would know what to expect and make fewer mistakes. It’s the same with knowing the future, and it would help you make the necessary adjustments in your life to benefit later.

Others set the example. You build on the knowledge and experiences of others, and you imitate what is good and avoid making the mistakes they have made. In that case, you can still mould your future. Should there be any deviations due to tragedy or misfortune, you learn to adapt. You can still achieve happiness, success, and security via the detour.

Living life is hard, and so are many decisions you must make. Yet, you trod on! You lift your head and have faith in tomorrow. Don’t worry about controlling the future. Control your attitude.

The secret of life isn’t what happens to you, but what you do with what happens to you. ~ Norman Vincent Peale