“But I haven’t at any time been hindered in my will, nor forced against it. And how is this possible? I have bound up my choice to act with the will of God. God wills that I be sick, such is my will. He wills that I should choose something, so do I. He wills that I reach for something, or something be given to me — I wish for the same. What God doesn’t will, I do not wish for.”
EPICTETUS, DISCOURSES, 4.1.89
Want to ensure that you are never stymied in what you want to do, or blocked in your goals? Align your goals with what’s going to happen anyway.
In the quote above from today’s entry in The Daily Stoic, Epictetus says “God wills” but he could just as easily have said “the universe wills” or “fate wills”. The point is that certain things are going to happen whether we like it or not. The future is going to unfold how it’s going to unfold.
If you don’t have any control of how things are going to go, why not align your will with fate? Why not choose to wish for whatever is going to happen anyway? Fate/universe/God is bigger than you, and has all the cards in their hand. You have no control. Adapt and accept, and you’ll find yourself always fulfilled.
Even better, you can come to love what’s going to happen — the concept of amor fati. It’s not easy, but you can dig deep and find some gratitude and joy in what will come to pass. And then you will truly be aligned with fate.
