We are born into a landscape but our choices govern much of our journey through it.

We are born into a landscape but our choices govern much of our journey through it. Within our landscape, our intentions take us to where we want to go. They attract what we focus on. our emotions amplify our intentions. Positive emotion speeds us the manifestation of our desires. Negative emotion slows it down. our beliefs about ourself, others, the world, and our current reality also affect our journey.

And there are also forces that affect us along the way. First there’s momentum. It’s the force of the journey so far. Making a change in our life doesn’t always change our reality in an instant. Momentum means that some things cling on as others change, just like turning a ship takes it along an arc instead of it making an immediate 90-degree turn.

And there are external forces that act upon us too. The cyclic patterns of the cosmos impact some of our biological processes. Production of the hormone melatonin (which regulates sleep), for instance, is driven by the cyclic rotation of the earth and the movement of the sun across the sky.

And we have internal forces, from our own genetics, to the spiritual memory of the purpose and meaning of our lives and the landscape we were born into.

And other people affect us. Emotions are contagious. We spread ours and catch emotions from other people, just like we give and receive the cold. It’s why you feel happy around happy people and sad around those who are depressed. It is part-facilitated through an interconnected network of cells in the brain called the ‘Mirror Neuron System’ (MNS). Harvard researchers found that an average of 25% of the average person’s happiness at any given time is a consequence of the emotional state of their friends.

So clearly there is some form of destiny and there is also free will, and there are forces that influence us. Many people have wondered whether life is governed by destiny or free will so I decided to have a go at solving the seeming confusion with a simple formula that basically says that it’s neither. In fact it’s both!

I have always had an interest in math, so here’s my little formula to describe the reality that each of us experiences. Math? I hear you shriek! :-)

Don’t worry, you don’t need to know anything about math to understand it. It really just condenses all of this post so far into a single line.

In words, it basically says that the reality you experience (R), is a consequence of: your intentions (I), your emotions (E), your beliefs (B), the momentum of your life up until now (p), external forces that act upon you, like your environment (Fe), internal forces, like genetics and your spiritual self (Fi), and the effect of other people (O).

Or:

R∞ IEBpFeFiOX