To what degree have you actually controlled the course your life has taken?

My life has been one roll of the dice after another. It has not always had a negative outcome though.
ex... Some years ago, I was looking for work at a university and could not find its location, so I asked someone in a different office where the personnel office was. The person I asked thought I was a prospective grad student rather than a possible fellow employee. She told me I had to take the GMAT, but I was in luck I could take it that day. I knew of course that she was confused, but I thought what the hell, why not. So I paid the fee and took the test. I subsequently did find the personnel office, but did not get the job. Months later I was working in a different town at a rather crappy job and got a letter from a different university that offered me a graduate assistantship with a tuition waiver and pay because I had scored so well on the GMAT. So I accepted the offer and quit my crappy job and instead earned a graduate degree.
LOL one roll of the dice after another.

I think I've pretty much controlled how my life has gone. I've succeeded in landing the jobs I want, the people I want around me and I've never not had a plan come together in the end. There are always going to be minor changes that need to be made, but that's because we can't see the future and you never know what curve ball will come your way. Just depends on how you handle it. KnowhatImean?

50/50 probably. when younger it's definitely less, but nowadays it's about the choices i make that determines what's next

I am a huge believer in taking the open doors and letting fate place you where you need to go. Just keeping your goal in sight as a guide for the end of the paths you will take. I own a nationwide known business--it is a 'blue sky' business, which means you buy the name and have the reputation behind you but the specific retail business is individually owned by each owner.

I had a six figure income when the economy crashed. The crash reduced my clientele drastically--no more real estate agents, contractors, small business startups, etc. My business was going to hell in a hurry. I hung in there and managed to make the little amount of money coming in do three times the amount of work it should have been able to cover by taking chances on out of town jobs and internet sales. I stayed in business....

When I was in a car wreck and could no longer build the billboards, do vehicle wraps and trailer signage, I stumbled on a $50 vintage motorcycle. I purchased it with my last bit of cash, took it home and tore it apart to sell the pieces. Therein lays the beginning of my 'new' business. I made over $2000 on that venture and reinvested it in other vintage bikes, to the point where I could restore them and sell running bikes as well as the parts. This kept us going personally and with my big business....

Now there are four other businesses in our town like my retail business. I still do the bikes, but have delved into making headstone memorial plaques, vintage cycle decals and other more exclusive branches of signage and design to keep the retail business fresh and afloat.

Like I said, it is all about keeping your goals in mind, using the doors that open for you and changing them to benefit you and your path in life. I am very lucky that these doors have been there when I have needed them...and that I have been able to make them adjust to my paths in life. So control...I would say it came after the fact and and was only about 35-40% of the course.