When Belief Becomes a Trap

There was a time in my life when everything felt stuck.

Nothing was moving, nothing was working. I couldn’t think clearly, let alone act. Every day felt like a loop of confusion, waiting, and helplessness. And in that foggy space of frustration, I started seeking answers - from anywhere I could find them.

That’s when I turned to astrology.

Now let me say this clearly: this isn’t a rant against astrology. I know many people find meaning and comfort in it. This is simply about what my belief in it started doing to my mind.

I wasn’t looking for fun horoscopes or birth chart breakdowns. I was desperately searching for hope. And astrology gave me that - in beautiful, tempting doses.

It told me that better things were coming. That my time was just around the corner. That a cosmic shift would soon bring everything I’d been waiting for.

And for a while, that belief gave me relief. It also made me stop moving.

I started telling myself: “Just wait. Your stars are about to align. Don’t act now - what if it’s not the right time yet?”

And so I waited. And waited. And when the timelines passed and nothing changed… I waited some more.

What I didn’t realise back then was how subtly my belief in astrology had taken over my locus of control.

I had handed over the steering wheel of my life to something outside of me. To fate. To timing. To divine schedules.

And as a result, I stopped trusting my own ability to change things. I stopped acting. I started blaming. And slowly, I stopped believing in myself.

Then one day, I came across this concept called the locus of control. Simply put:

• If you have an external locus of control, you believe that your life is shaped by things outside of you — luck, timing, circumstances, fate.

• If you have an internal locus of control, you believe that your choices, actions, and mindset are what determine your life’s direction.

Reading this hit me like a punch to the gut.

I realised I had spent months waiting for something outside of me to fix my inside. And all that waiting had cost me the one thing I truly had — my power to choose, act, and create.

So What Do I Believe Now?

Honestly? I don’t know if astrology is real or not. Maybe some of it is. Maybe none of it is. That’s not the point anymore.

The point is: What belief system actually helps me live a better life?

Is it helpful to believe that my future is fixed? That it’s already written somewhere in the stars and I just have to wait for it to unfold?

Or is it more empowering to believe that my actions today are shaping my tomorrow — that even in chaos, I get to choose how I show up?

For me, it’s the latter. Every single time.

I now choose to believe in the power of:

• Action over waiting

• Movement over stagnation

• Choice over helplessness

• Will over fate

Because this belief doesn’t make me sit and hope. It makes me act. And that’s where life changes - not in predictions, but in decisions.

So, no - this isn’t a war against astrology. It’s just a gentle reminder that no external promise is more powerful than the actions you take today.

Choose what serves your growth. And let that belief be your guide.

Jai Jinendra