In aviation or sailing. A chart is plotted, the direction is set, and then many small adjustments are made along the journey, due to divergences from the course. External factors like wind can blow us off course for a minute, but we learn to adjust and move forward. In the stock market, the same thing happens. When an investor sees a divergence, it’s a sign that there will be an adjustment in the market, so the investor uses this knowledge to adjust their portfolio accordingly.

The same thing can happen to us in our lives, our direction, and our goals.  We plot a course, set goals, and define where we want to go. Somewhere down the road, we realize that we’re not quite on path, so we make adjustments. Sometimes, we’re blown way off course by external events. It’s the realization that we’re not on path that helps us get our bearings straight again. We evaluate where we are, and where we’d like to be, then make the appropriate changes. This can be big things like a lifestyle change, career change, even moving or a change of friends. It can also be a myriad of little things, like taking time to nourish the soul, creating a habit of doing one anonymous good deed per day, or keeping a gratitude list each day, to recognize the abundance in our lives.

As it states in the last stanza of Henley’s poem Invictus, we are the masters of our fate, we are the captains of our souls. Where and how will we set our sails?