Master of My Destiny

The tale is told of a wise, all knowing old man who never made mistakes. And there was a young man who wanted to test the old man and question his wisdom. One day, the young man got a bird from the bush and placed it in his hand. He then asked the old man whether or not the bird was alive or dead. In his mind he thought, if the old man said the bird was alive, he would squeeze the bird dead. If the old man said the bird was dead, he would release the bird and let it go. Either way the old man would be proved a liar. The old man's response shocked him, “whether the bird lives or dies, the decision is in your hands.” This book is premised upon the fact that we all actually have it within us to succeed in many areas of our lives. We have the ability to make choices that will shape our destiny forever. Success is not only available for a privileged few who were raised with golden spoons in their mouths. And, by the way, success is much more than financial prosperity. Given the right resources, environment and support, a lot of us will make it in life. In order to thrive and reach our highest potential, most of us need a nurturing family, a supportive community and most importantly, a willingness to take responsibility for ourselves. No matter how low you think you are, you can start building from wherever you are. and you can begin working towards your success, and you will achieve it. You can begin creating your own destiny, right now. Enough knowledge and resource is available if we would only use them. The story of Joseph in the bible is illuminating. The bible records that Joseph prospered in Potiphar's house, as a slave! He was a slave, yet he was placed above everything and everyone in his master's house except the master's wife. He obviously did not have a golden spoon in his mouth and had a lot of reasons to be angry and disillusioned. He was poor, separated from his family and religion, maltreated and sold into slavery by his siblings! As if all that was not enough, he was unjustly thrown into prison, for what he did not do. How then did he end up becoming the king's right hand man? How did he become the man you had to know before you saw the king? Obviously, he did not get to Egypt, already knowing the right people. He had no godfathers to introduce him to the king. His was not a case of dad calling on his behalf and setting up interviews. He did not have the right last name. How did he do it? By being faithful to the task at hand, even though menial; by hard work, diligence and a high level of integrity. In spite of the injustice that took him to prison, he was still faithful and hardworking, even there. The result was that he did not remain a mediocre forever. As a matter of fact, he moved all the way to the top and became the Prime Minister of Egypt. Please read the full story in the book of Genesis, chapters 39 through 41. We can do no less if we are to succeed. The timeless values of hard work, tenacity, perseverance, integrity and faith are still the fuels for success. It will not be easy. The road to real and lasting success never is. But you can make it in life, regardless of your background or opportunity. My suggestions in this book are radical, and you may be uncomfortable with them or even get angry with me. I will be the first to admit that I am quite opinionated on issues that I believe in. But these are tried and tested principles, and they truly work. So, I encourage you to dig in, do it, and enjoy the rich rewards. You are the Master of your own destiny. Begin to create it, right now!