“We are not permitted to choose the frame of our destiny. But what we put into it is ours.”
–Dag Hammarskjold
Contrary to what is often said, we cannot be anything we want to be, and we cannot succeed at any endeavor we choose, if we just try hard enough. We are born with special talents that we can cultivate and develop, and we need to determine what those talents are as early in life as possible. We cannot become great singers unless we have musical talents, and we cannot become professional athletes without having at least some innate athletic ability. But we can all become extraordinarily successful at something.
Dag Hammarskjold, who served as secretary-general of the United Nations from 1953 until his death in a plane crash in 1961, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1961 for his efforts to bring peace to the world. He was admired throughout the world, and he made a major contribution to mankind. Growing up in Sweden, Hammarskjold could not possibly have imagined his ultimate destiny because the United Nations was not created until he was 40 years old. Like all of us, Hammarskjold was not able to choose the frame of his destiny, but he put a lot into the frame he was given.
The frame of our destiny is determined by our innate abilities and the opportunities that come our way. What we put into the frame is largely determined by the goals we set for ourselves, and how hard and efficiently we work toward achieving those goals.
Aptitude tests are often helpful to young people who are trying to determine which career goals are realistic for them to pursue. Trial and error is another way to assess our innate talents. Those who choose careers on the basis of their aptitudes are far more likely to succeed than those who base their career goals on what they “want” to do or what others “want” them to do.
Parents sometimes make the terrible mistake of trying to plan their children’s destiny for them. Often parents try to live out their own dreams through their children instead of helping the children achieve their own dreams. Athletic parents may try to push children who are academically talented, but who have little athletic aptitude, into athletic fields where they stand little or no chance of succeeding. Likewise, parents who place a high value on academic achievement may push their children to pursue academic goals that are beyond their capacity.
It is especially important that we determine as early in life as possible our strengths and weaknesses, because it is our talents and aptitudes that make up the frame of our destiny. Efforts that do not fall within the boundaries of our frame of destiny are far less likely to be productive than those that are within it.
Think about it.
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Copyright 2024
Allen W. Smith
