Maker of my own fate

I recently read the need to have an "exit plan."  The author of this thought debated the pros and cons of such an idea (she is more inclined to live spontaneously and not to plan), but I think the idea of an exit plan boils down to this: be the decider of your own fate. In other words, you make the choices necessary for your life. Do not leave such choices up to chance or another individual.

I, for one, think exit plans are good. I think we often miss out in life because we are too passive and want a freedom that actually harms us spiritually. I think far too many of us refuse to "exit" when necessary because of the risks involved, the unknowns, or the insecurities. So we stay put far longer than we should, and miss the excitements and lessons we could learn if only we would take control and exit when our souls prompt us to.

I speak from experience. I often look back at my life of 29 years within a monastery and ask myself why I stayed so long! God was telling me I was not a good fit, but I could not hear it. I kept accepting other opinions that said my only problem was a lack of generosity and faith. I let others tell me that this was the life for me, and get over my questioning. I let others decide what the spirit was saying, instead of discerning it for myself. 

And so I think we all should have an exit plan, we all should know ourselves through what spiritual writers call self-knowledge. We should develop that knowledge by prayer and reflection. We should fight against the fear of making a mistake, knowing God looks at intention. And we should not let others dictate how life should be for us. Each one of us should be the maker of decisions. Then, whether it is to enter or exit, we will be following, not the whims or opinions or promptings of another, but the promptings of the spirit alive and awake in our own soul.