They aren’t the same thing.
Your Fate is what your future life will be if you continue on the path you are on. It’s what you’ve been born into. It’s what life will be like if you don’t try to grow or change. It’s achieved by your unconscious actions, what you do by route or routine without thinking.
Your Destiny is what your future life CAN be. It’s what’s been born inside of you. It’s the achievement of your highest potential, but you have to claim it. It takes conscious actions to bring it about.
For instance, it wasn’t my Fate to be a mom. It was my Destiny. If it had been my fate, it would have been easy, or even accidental. But it was my Destiny because I felt it’s call in my soul. I knew at the very center of my being and with every fiber of my being that I was meant to be a mother. So I claimed it! It was hard, emotional and spectacularly fulfilling work. As I look at my wonderful son, I know every moment of my journey—the miscarriages, the hormone therapy, the complications—all were not only worth it, but necessary for me to grow into the mother I am Destined to be.
It’s also not my fate to be a mentor and change lives, it’s my Destiny. It was my Fate to have a way with words. It was my Destiny to inspire, challenge and empower people to transform their lives with the words I speak and the books I write.
So what about you; are you living your Fate or your Destiny?
Don’t know your Destiny?
Your soul will tell you. Ask it. Ask the Divine. Mediate. Pray. Try new things. Explore yourself and your interests. Talk to a spiritual leader, coach or close friend. Experience Awaken To Your Purpse from Way to Shine. (This guided imagery process is what got me connected to my big, powerful and emotional Purpose which I’ve worked on focusing into my Destiny.)
You’ll know it when it’s your Destiny. You’ll feel your spirit will light up and your body will feel as if every cell is vibrating in unison.
You may be scared. You may not like it. Maybe for the things it brings up in your or what it makes you face about yourself or your past. But in the end it’s always up to you.