Amor Fati: The Path to Happiness

If you could go back in time and change the past - would you?

There’s no shortage of films and shows depicting this idea.

The main character figures out time travel and goes back into the past to make some changes only to return to the future realizing that he had altered the future in a worse way.

While some of us would go back in time to change the past - some would argue that our pasts make us who we are today.

Every part of your past is but a building block of the person you are today.

The exact place you are now - reading this letter written by a guy in Kansas.

You’re looking for ideas and solutions to better yourself and your past has set you on a journey of self-improvement.

This is why I have become attached to the concept of Amor Fati, an idea popularized by the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche.

Amor fati translated from Latin means ‘a love of one’s fate.’

Although we may wish that we could go back through our life and make some changes it simply is not possible.

The only way to move forward from our past is to accept it, learn its lessons, and move on.

I love this formula for happiness by Epictetus where he says, “Do not seek for things to happen the way you want them to; rather, wish that what happens happen the way it happens: then you will be happy.”

The great philosophers of the past understood that we cannot control what happens to us but we can control our response to it.

Instead of feeling victimized by circumstances, the concept of amor fati allows us to take control of our responses to challenges.

Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple Inc., was ousted from the company he started.

This period was a low point in his life.

However, instead of succumbing to despair, Jobs used this time to explore new ventures and eventually returned to Apple with renewed creativity and vision, contributing to the development of groundbreaking products like the iPhone and iPad.

Walt Disney faced multiple business failures and bankruptcy before achieving success with Disneyland.

He was fired from a newspaper for lacking creativity and was told he lacked imagination.

Undeterred, Disney embraced these setbacks, learning valuable lessons that contributed to the creation of a global entertainment empire.

Ways to practice Amor Fati

• Take 5 minutes a day to reflect. Embrace both the positive and challenging experience and consider how each moment contributed to your personal growth.

• View mistakes and setbacks as opportunities to learn. Practice looking for lessons that you can take from each event.

• Instead of fearing or resisting change, embrace it. Recognize that each phase of life brings new experiences and opportunities for personal growth.

• Live in the present. Use your past as a way to reflect. Practice focusing on the present moment and being fully engaged with what is happening around you.

I encourage you to look back on your own life and identify moments where practicing amor fati would have helped.

Until next week,

The Unrealized Purpose Team