“Thou hast it now: king, Cawdor, Glamis, all,
As the weird women promised, and, I fear,
Thou play'dst most foully for't”
—Macbeth, Act III, Scene 1

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Here is a fun fact: William Shakespeare introduced the word “weird” into the modern English language in Macbeth, with the Weird Sisters. As a brief refresher, the Weird Sisters are witches who know all about Macbeth—his past, his present, and even his future.

Weird is derived from the Old English word wyrd, which means fate. But it doesn’t necessarily mean fate that is completely preordained. With wyrd, there is an element of self-determination. We make choices and take actions that bring us closer to a certain inevitable outcome. The Sisters could foresee the events of Macbeth’s life, and they could see the kind of man he was, and they could see how the story would unfold.

Macbeth’s future is written largely because of who he is and the kind of decisions he makes.

This is true for every single one of us. Our lives are collections of small decisions that accumulate into outcomes. I love thinking about this because it reveals the magic and power in even our smallest, most mundane moments.

These moments make us who we are.‍

The person we are makes the moment what it is.

This is one of the most foundational elements of storytelling—that there is no separation between the character and the events of a story. Fate is particular to a single person.

This is true for the stories we are writing, but it is also true for the stories we are living.

What you believe about yourself and the choices you make every day that support that belief are connected. This is why the story you tell yourself is essential. What do you believe is your destiny? What choices are you making that support that belief?

For years, I felt kind of annoyed whenever I heard the phrase, “No one will love you until your love yourself.” It didn’t make sense to me—how can someone just start loving themselves? What did that even mean?

As I grew older, I learned what love really is. It’s a willingness to care for someone, not just with a feeling, but to do things that support them, keep them safe, keep them healthy, and make them happy. And that includes ourselves. Are you doing things that support your own dreams, things that keep you safe, healthy, and happy? What small decisions are you making that show that you’re someone who deserves love?

We write our own fate every day. If you’re reading this newsletter, you’re probably a writer. Writers write—that’s a choice they make constantly, to keep on with the work, even when it’s hard or frustrating.

This is how we become who we are meant to be.