"Si no te programas a ti mismo, la vida te programará."

Ever had one of those days where you feel like everything is just happening to you? Like you're a passenger in your own life? That's pretty much what this quote is getting at. The idea is that if you don't take control of your life—if you don't set your own goals, make your own plans, decide what's important to you—then life will just happen. Other people, circumstances, whatever’s trending, they’re all going to influence you in ways you might not even realize.

This idea isn't new. Think about all those self-help books that talk about setting goals and making plans. It's the same core message. Even way back when, philosophers like Socrates and later, existentialists like Jean-Paul Sartre, talked about the importance of living a life where you make conscious choices rather than just drifting along.

There’s a real-life example that fits perfectly here. Picture an aspiring artist, let's call her Lisa. Lisa loves painting, but she works a 9-to-5 job in an office because, well, bills need paying. She tells herself she’ll paint more when she has time, but days turn into weeks, and weeks turn into months. Before she knows it, years have slipped by and she’s barely touched a canvas. Why? Because she let life program her. She didn't carve out time specifically for her passion, so other stuff—work deadlines, social obligations, binge-watching the latest series—took over.

So, what’s the play here? How do you make sure you’re the one in the driver’s seat? First, you’ve got to figure out what you actually want. Not what your parents want, not what society expects, but what you want. It's not always obvious, and it might change over time, but it’s worth doing a bit of soul-searching. Once you know that, set some goals. They don’t have to be grandiose. Small steps work just fine. Then, and this is crucial, make a plan. Write it down. Break it into actionable steps. And most importantly, stick to it. Life’s distractions are sneaky, but if you’ve got a clear roadmap, it’s easier to stay focused.

Imagine you’re trying to get in shape. You set a goal to run a marathon in a year. If you just tell yourself you’ll run whenever you feel like it, guess what? It probably won’t happen. But if you create a training schedule, buy some good running shoes, maybe find a running buddy—now you’re programming yourself. You’re building habits and setting structures that make it more likely you’ll succeed.

Let me take you into a relatable scenario. Remember those high school group projects? There was always that one person who ended up doing all the work while others slacked off. Now, imagine you're in that group, but this time, you decide to take charge. You organize the meetings, delegate tasks, follow up on progress. You’re programming the project instead of letting it fall apart. The project turns out great, and you end up learning more and performing better than if you had just gone with the flow.

The bottom line? Don't let life just happen to you. Grab the reins. Make plans. Set goals. Be deliberate about how you spend your time and energy. It’s not always easy, and you’ll definitely stumble sometimes, but that’s okay. What matters is that you’re actively shaping your life, not just reacting to it. And hey, isn’t that a much more exciting way to live?