Start asking, and you’ll start receiving. It’s startling how fast you’ll get what you want once you directly ask. - Benjamin P. Hardy

From the late 1800s to the late 1900s... science suggested that human beings are the direct byproduct of their own past. [...]

Research now shows that a person’s past does not drive or dictate their actions and behaviors. Rather, we are pulled forward by our future. [...]

From this view, [...] all human-action is goal-driven [or purpose-driven], even if the goal of the behavior isn’t consciously considered by the individual. [...]

There is always a why for everything someone does. That why is their reason or goal for what they’re doing. [...]

While [...] purpose may not [always] be conscious or inspiring, [a person's reason behind their behavior] still exists. Even if the goal is simply immediate gratification or escape, [as in the case of wasting time] on social media.

Choosing one's own way is a primary purpose of our lives. Yet there is a fear in making choices, because choices have consequences. As a result, people avoid making decisions, fail to choose their own way, and limit their capacity for growth, learning, and change.

A fundamental aspect of flexibility is what psychologists call pathways thinking, and it’s the ability to find or create many workable paths to a given outcome.10 The more flexible you are as a person, the more willing you’ll be to try multiple approaches to getting where you want to go. The more rigid you are, the more dogmatically you’ll try forcing the same approach even when it proves unsuccessful.