Choose Your Own Adventure

This week I have been pondering the topic of destiny. What determines our destiny in this life? Is it fate that was predetermined long before we were ever born? Or is it the choices we make throughout our existence here on earth? President Wilford Woodruff said that we are "responsible for the course we pursue, the lives we live, the deeds we do". This quote really touched my soul this week. It made me question where I am in this life, and what got me here. It also made me question my future, and what destiny I have in front of me. In all the super hero movies that my family and I love to watch it seems like destiny is predetermined by fate... no matter what they do  or choices they make, they will end up facing their destiny. While I do still think that we all have things we are meant to accomplish in this life, President Monson stated that the "choices we make determine our destiny". This tells me that I can still change the direction of my life by making different choices. Of course, Heavenly Father knew all along that we would make those choices, so I suppose fate does play a part in the eternal scheme of things. However, just knowing that I am able to accomplish more than what I have so far gives me renewed purpose. I still have dreams, hopes, and aspirations. But, at 32, I have been feeling like my time to accomplish those things have past. As I was thinking about President Monson's council, I decided to think about what my end goal here on earth was. What is that I want to have accomplished by the time I die. After the passing of my father-in-law, I thought about how sad it was that he and my mother-in-law were never able to retire and serve the mission they had always dreamed of. I decided that my goal is to be able to have my husband retire by 65, and with that in mind I have been working backwards with my goal setting to get me to that point. So, instead of just dreaming to be rich and successful, I am instead going to focus on getting the education I need to have a career that will allow me to save enough to retire by that point. Having my destiny planned, gives me a purpose for the work I do each and every day.