Fate or chance?
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There was a time when I got sucked into all the new-agey crap about The Secret and the universe giving me whatever the hell I wanted just because I willed it to happen. I clung to the idea that everything that showed up in my life wasn't a coincidence, but rather some immeasurable attraction based on nonexistent radio waves coming out of my brain. I guess I was in a place where I didn't know how to achieve the things I wanted so I convinced myself that I could use some kind of universal magnetism to bring them to me. That's almost like subscribing to some mystical Laissez-faire attitude that physics and hard work don't apply to my world because the universe provides. It really all sounds kinda desperate. Looking back at The Secret I feel as if I was in the outer space version of Occupy Wall Street - Occupy the Universe.
Now I'm in a place where I bust my ass to get the things I want. I work hard at my job, I'm starting my company, my money is in order and none of it has to do with the universe. It's all about reaping the benefits of my hard work. If I don't pitch clients, I can't sign clients. If I don't deliver, they will take their business elsewhere. If I don't show up to work and do what's expected of me, I won't get to keep my job then I can't pay my bills and I'll have no electricity. There are direct, measurable cause and effect actions out there. This is why I hate the OWS movement. Consider all the money the bankers make and will continue to make because they are at work doing what they do all day every day. Consider the occupiers on the street. Collectively, how many hours have been spent? Multiple that by a decent wage and imagine how much money they could have made. Have you heard that the corporate greed mongers are looking out of their windows betting on who gets arrested next? Say what you will about the cops and their behavior, but the truth of the matter is that those who are at work on Wall Street aren't getting arrested. They are too busy earning money. The OWS nutjobs are spending taxpayers money with the increase police presence.
The interesting thing is that none of that is why I'm writing this. It is all just support for the real story. I realized today that I hate OWS just a little less. They want everyone to share success and as socialist as that sounds, I have shared a success from their efforts. See... it started a couple of weeks ago. A friend of mine posted some nonsense defending these lunatics on Facebook. Naturally, I couldn't resist responding to him. We got into a friendly debate. Out of nowhere a friend of his chimed in with the exact same position I have. Seeing the amazing logic of this person, I had to take a closer look. Imagine my surprise when I saw that this person of sound mind was also a Jets fan. Now I know there's a good head on those shoulders. What's more is that this person happens to be the kind of beautiful that stops you in your tracks when you see her. Wait a minute. Is this really a knockout, conservative, Jets fan? Sure is. What do I do? Reference her taste in football teams in a seemingly innocuous flirt that actually got her attention.
The next day, I have a Facebook friend request from the Jets fan beauty. I fire off an email to say hi and break the ice. The subsequent chain of events has both of us still a little dizzy and surprised. It starts on Facebook with messages. Then it goes to text messages. Then we're talking on the phone. Next thing I know, we are in, nearly, constant contact. There is something real brewing here. And you know what? I'm not complaining one bit. I think it's awesome and so does she. We laugh at the same stuff; we're annoyed by the same stuff. We want the same stuff. We formed an instant connection. The future is long and uncertain. Nobody can say they KNOW what will happen, but... we can feel and sense what we think will happen. I'll let it unfurl and not say anything, but it's all good stuff for sure.
So what has that got to do with The Secret? Despite my feeling that I can't will anything to happen and I can't attract it into my life I sometimes wonder if Linda (Yes her name is Linda. Yes I know. Please don't say it) coming into my life was not coincidence. I wonder if something somewhere helped arrange it. It just seems too strong of a coincidence and too random and we have too much in common for it to be happenstance. I don't really believe in fate, but some things are inexplicable and bigger than a random crossing. I'll never know what made 2 people so alike (and subsequently so happy to be around each other) end up meeting in the most random of ways. It'll always be a mystery. Here's the thing. I don't care WHY. The ends justify the means. How it happened is not nearly as important as the fact that it actually happened. We will see where this adventure takes us, but I'm a betting man and I bet it'll be somewhere great.
Now I'm in a place where I bust my ass to get the things I want. I work hard at my job, I'm starting my company, my money is in order and none of it has to do with the universe. It's all about reaping the benefits of my hard work. If I don't pitch clients, I can't sign clients. If I don't deliver, they will take their business elsewhere. If I don't show up to work and do what's expected of me, I won't get to keep my job then I can't pay my bills and I'll have no electricity. There are direct, measurable cause and effect actions out there. This is why I hate the OWS movement. Consider all the money the bankers make and will continue to make because they are at work doing what they do all day every day. Consider the occupiers on the street. Collectively, how many hours have been spent? Multiple that by a decent wage and imagine how much money they could have made. Have you heard that the corporate greed mongers are looking out of their windows betting on who gets arrested next? Say what you will about the cops and their behavior, but the truth of the matter is that those who are at work on Wall Street aren't getting arrested. They are too busy earning money. The OWS nutjobs are spending taxpayers money with the increase police presence.
The interesting thing is that none of that is why I'm writing this. It is all just support for the real story. I realized today that I hate OWS just a little less. They want everyone to share success and as socialist as that sounds, I have shared a success from their efforts. See... it started a couple of weeks ago. A friend of mine posted some nonsense defending these lunatics on Facebook. Naturally, I couldn't resist responding to him. We got into a friendly debate. Out of nowhere a friend of his chimed in with the exact same position I have. Seeing the amazing logic of this person, I had to take a closer look. Imagine my surprise when I saw that this person of sound mind was also a Jets fan. Now I know there's a good head on those shoulders. What's more is that this person happens to be the kind of beautiful that stops you in your tracks when you see her. Wait a minute. Is this really a knockout, conservative, Jets fan? Sure is. What do I do? Reference her taste in football teams in a seemingly innocuous flirt that actually got her attention.
The next day, I have a Facebook friend request from the Jets fan beauty. I fire off an email to say hi and break the ice. The subsequent chain of events has both of us still a little dizzy and surprised. It starts on Facebook with messages. Then it goes to text messages. Then we're talking on the phone. Next thing I know, we are in, nearly, constant contact. There is something real brewing here. And you know what? I'm not complaining one bit. I think it's awesome and so does she. We laugh at the same stuff; we're annoyed by the same stuff. We want the same stuff. We formed an instant connection. The future is long and uncertain. Nobody can say they KNOW what will happen, but... we can feel and sense what we think will happen. I'll let it unfurl and not say anything, but it's all good stuff for sure.
So what has that got to do with The Secret? Despite my feeling that I can't will anything to happen and I can't attract it into my life I sometimes wonder if Linda (Yes her name is Linda. Yes I know. Please don't say it) coming into my life was not coincidence. I wonder if something somewhere helped arrange it. It just seems too strong of a coincidence and too random and we have too much in common for it to be happenstance. I don't really believe in fate, but some things are inexplicable and bigger than a random crossing. I'll never know what made 2 people so alike (and subsequently so happy to be around each other) end up meeting in the most random of ways. It'll always be a mystery. Here's the thing. I don't care WHY. The ends justify the means. How it happened is not nearly as important as the fact that it actually happened. We will see where this adventure takes us, but I'm a betting man and I bet it'll be somewhere great.