By Barry Baines

Do you consider yourself to be a victim of your history or do you prefer instead to be Master of your Destiny?  I wonder if you have considered that before because the choice is yours and yours alone.  You get to write the script and you get to act out the play. http://www.the-secret-of-mindpower-and-nlp.com/Determining-your-destiny.html

Some people you know may have had a bit of a raw deal in childhood but have got over it and gone on to great things. Equally, others have had a good start but failed to make the most of it and floundered later on. 

Whatever happens is down to us, not someone else.  Our past is no longer a reality. Whatever happened took place then.  All we have now is our own imperfect memory of it.  Neither is the future real.  It exists only in our imagination and is based on our past memories.

Many of the great names and geniuses in history have suffered great deprivation, sadness and sometimes very short lives. 

Consider Leonardo da Vinci whose mother was just a humble peasant girl.

Isaac Newton’s father died three months before he was born, and Isaac was so small as a baby that he could fit into a two-pint pot.  His stepfather despised him.

Marie Curie’s husband died in a road traffic accident when her children were nine and two years old.  Confucius’s father died when he was three.  Robbie Burns, the great Scottish poet, was raised in poverty, had irregular schooling and died at 37.  Charles Dickens’ family was sent to live in a debtor’s prison because of his father’s bankruptcy and Charles was sent to work in a blacking factory.  Mozart died in poverty at 35.  Oscar Wilde was persecuted because of his sexual orientation, sent to prison and died at 46.

Abraham Lincoln and Rembrandt each suffered the loss of three children, whilst Lincoln and Gandhi were each assassinated by opponents of their political beliefs.

If you wish for a modern day example, consider Oprah Winfrey.  You could hardly have a worse start in life than Oprah.  She is now successful beyond belief and loved and admired the world over.

The common thread that runs through the lives of all these great people is that whatever deprivation they suffered, they educated themselves one way or another.  They each lived rather than passed their time.

Life is taking place now.  So live in the moment.  Enjoy the moment.  By all means plan for the future. 

Take advantage of the present moment to enhance your skills and widen your knowledge.  For example, teach yourself to read at high speed.  Just imagine how much more you can learn and comprehend in a much shorter space of time if you do that.  Get in the fast lane and enjoy the ride!