Nobunaga, a legendary Japanese warrior, was engaged in combat with a formidable foe while commanding only one-tenth as many troops. Although his soldiers had doubts, he was confident that a well-planned strategy would allow him to prevail in the battle.
The leader stopped along the road at a Shinto shrine and instructed his men: “I will toss a coin after my visit to the shrine.” We will succeed if it is head; if it is tails, we will fail. We are in the hands of destiny.
Nobunaga went inside the shrine and prayed. He then emerged and threw a coin in front of his soldiers. There were heads. The warriors were eager to win the battle and were full of confidence.
After the struggle, one of his companions warned him that nobody could alter fate.
Nobunaga replied, “Indeed not,” and displayed the coin, which had heads on both sides and was doubled.
Lesson
You are only meant to become the person you choose to be.
