The new year is well under way and I will try and avoid the usual discussions, posts, and tweets about resolutions. This article relates to a belief I have that there is more to life than just randomness as many of the quantum theorists will tell us. It is not that I don’t believe in Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle or Chaos Theory but I have lived and breathed long enough on this planet to have witnessed and experienced events that suggest to me that there must be some ability to affect the quanta of the present to influence the future. Of course, most of us want to believe that not everything in life is just random as experiments in quantum physics have shown us. Most of us want to believe that if we put effort into the system we can tip the odds in our favour. I firmly believe that not only is this possible but it is what makes some people seem more “lucky” than us.
Let’s take the example of health for a moment. When you look at a disease like cancer it appears to be quite random. Everyone knows of that person who lived a very healthy life by not drinking and not smoking and exercising everyday but still developed cancer at a young age. Even more horrifying is when young children develop cancer – it just appears so random and it most cases, it is. There is however significant reams of research which demonstrates that through our efforts of maintaining a healthy lifestyle, we can turn the odds in our favour. It certainly does not mean that you have ultimate control over your fate, it just means that you can improve your odds.
If we accept that our intentions can improve our odds in health, it begs the question of whether our efforts can affect other measurable indicators such as prosperity. Once again it is clear that at its base, randomness is at play. Whether you were born into affluence or not was (depending upon your belief) a random fluke. As with health, there are numerous examples of people who were born into abject poverty but through sheer will and determination influenced the odds of the future and dramatically improved their state of affluence. When you take a look at anything life, any goals you might have or anything you might desire, at its base starts randomness. I believe we must accept the randomness but get better at playing the odds. While I don’t play poker, I know enough about the game to know that by learning the rules, a few tricks, and a bit about probability, you can become a better poker player. Randomness is inherent in the game of poker as it is in life but learning how to work with the odds can affect the future.
When things in your life seem to be not going well, know that your time will come – much like the wave which is in the trough, it will rise again. Also know that you can influence when that wave will rise. Believe in your ability to affect the odds of anything in your life. Learn the rules of the game and understand the odds and what you can do to improve them. If it works in games of chance, it can work for anything. The variables for your goal might be different and more complex than a game of cards but with intention and effort, the rules can be learned and you can gain confidence in your ability to influence the future by playing the odds of the present.