Destiny is just another word for destination. Your destiny is not some magical mystical fated outcome, but is the end result of travelling down a certain path. Some people seem to have been put on a special path in life, and thus others say that they were "destined" for success. Maybe being placed on that path had something to do with divine intervention, but I am sure that it took a great deal of work to walk the path. What path are you walking in your martial arts endeavors? Is that path going to take you toward your goal? Are you sure?

Let's imagine that you went camping. You have your tent set up in a nice area. There are paths all around you, each leading a different direction. Imagine that you want to go to the lake for a day in the water. Which path do you take if you have never been there before? The logical thing to do is to get some guidance. You ask someone. Imagine that this person says "All the paths are good, my child." What would your reaction be? It may be true that all the paths are good in that they lead to a destination, but you want to go to the lake! There is a martial arts philosophy that says all methods are good. Well, just like the paths, they are good for going in a certain direction. We have to first know where we want to go, and then find the path that takes us there. Now let's say that you asked another person for direction. This fine man tells points out a path and says that it leads toward the lake. Great. You head off. You walk for 15 minutes to find that the path ends at a toilet facility. Was the path good? Not if you wanted to go to the lake! You head back, find the guy, and ask him why he pointed out that path. He says that someone else told him that it led to the lake, but he hadn't actually been all the way down the path himself. Now what? You look for someone who has actually been to the lake, and knows which path to take. Let's say you find this person. She points out the correct path. She has taken it many times, and has gotten to the lake each time. She also tells you there are other paths that lead to different parts of the lake. Finally, you know the path. You are motivated, you head out, and find your destiny at the lake. This is exactly what happens in martial arts training.

There are many paths, and they all lead somewhere. You first must decide what you want your destiny to be. Do you want to be a forms champ? There are a few paths for that. Do you want to develop inner peace? Enhance your fitness? There are paths for these pursuits as well. Maybe you want to do what we do in Jeet Kune Do Unlimited; train for realistic self-defense while enhancing fitness and inner peace. There is a path for that. It is important to realize that just because you are on a martial arts path does not mean that it is going to lead you towards your personal goal.

Once you have a goal, how do you know that your path will lead you there? Ask your teacher, right? Well, it depends. What if you teacher is like the guy in the campground who set you on a path towards the toilets? He had good intentions, he had been down the path, but never to the end. You need to find someone who has been down to the lake and can guide you to get there as well. If you want to learn effective fighting, you don't take lessons from someone who has never actually applied their skills against someone who is fighting back. You get guidance from someone who has actually developed his or her fighting skill.

The same is true in your life. Determine what you want our destiny to be. Find someone who has been there and commit to doing what it takes to walk the path. We all have different goals, and this is a wonderful aspect of life. Everyone should do what is right for them, while respecting the rights of others to follow their paths. Know where you want to go, get sound guidance from an experienced guide, and then create your own destiny.