Karma and Destiny – How much control do we really have?

I asked David Wolfe the following question:

The way the principles of success are taught in the self-help
industry, it appears that success is a by-product of following

specific principles. But this doesn't take into consideration a person's karma, that at least some of what we reap now has been sown in the past. So much control do we or don’t we have?

He replied:

Empathy, clear intention, putting consciousness in the
result, accountability, win/win, etc., are ways of being that are
natural for the person, the soul, in the state of completeness and
connection. These ways of being do not guarantee a result but they
maximize the possibility of a result. Ultimately the result is
dependent on the God. The ways of being are states of consciousness that are most effective for the performer. The performer, though, is only one of many factors involved in creating the result. With this in mind we want to be cautious about assuming that the lack of desired outcome is due to some factor other than the
consciousness of the performer. If the result is not the desired
result, it is usually healthy, on a personal level, to consider "What
is it about me, about my consciousness, such that the outcome resulted in this way?" With such a perspective, we are constantly learning and improving.

David Wolfe