Most of our thoughts and desires are not authored by us. They are the product of our genetics, our upbringing, and our accumulated experiences. In this sense, much of who we are feels given, not chosen. Yet within that, there exists a space — small but profound — where we do have agency.

That agency often reveals itself at the micro level. We cannot control what we feel, but we can control how we react. A moment of pausing before reacting. A single breath taken in awareness. A choice to speak with kindness instead of anger. These may feel like minor shifts, but they ripple outward. Through practices like meditation and presence, we grow our awareness of this micro-agency. We may not control the initial thought, but we can shape how it unfolds — and in that shaping, we affect both our situation and our future.

It’s curious: when people imagine going back in time, they are often cautious. They know a single small action in the past could unravel the entire future. And yet, many fail to believe that small choices made in the present can have equally massive consequences moving forward. If a single butterfly flapping its wings can shift weather patterns, why should we doubt the same principle in our own lives?

This is the essence of manifestation — not magic or wishful thinking, but presence and awareness applied to the smallest moments. By reclaiming agency at the micro level, we set in motion changes that can reshape the arc of our lives. The present is the only place where the future is truly written.