I think it is impossible to see both in isolation regarding circumstances and will. In one hand your circumstances do play a significant role in who you become… I don’t think this can be helped. You are born to a certain someone or group of people that you have no control of and they shape you. Where you live, who you meet, the opportunities you have all control who you become as you grow.
On the other hand that is only half of the equation. We are all given free will and the ability to either choose life-affirming behavior or deathly behavior or anywhere in between or in combination. I think that the cliche saying “Play the hand you’re dealt” here applies. If I could elaborate more I would say that your conscious thoughts and actions have a great impact on shaping your own destiny, and the initial effect of circumstance becomes less and less a factor of your being as you grow older, since we can become who we want to be with proper application in right thought.
That being said someone who is born in a harsh environment (think starving children in Africa) and who does not have their physical needs met is at a grave disadvantage. However through survival and some of the remarkable and often quite miraculous adaptations the body goes through, it is also possible however unlikely that one of these disadvantaged youths could become President of a great country through extreme effort and motivation. This is why I think both matter.
What @lilcoyote is so true. We think “how blessed they are” or “see how luck shines on them at every turn,” when in fact we have no idea what they went through and the work they did. Steve Jobs actually made more money from Pixar than he did from Apple (twice as much actually) and how can you call that lucky? Even his other company NeXT made him money. I have to believe that is the result of a great work ethic and someone who knew applied himself. Keep in mind Jobs used to sleep on people’s floors and scrounge around for free food when he dropped out of college. He was also depressed when he got ousted from Apple, only to rise from his ashes.
So no, I definitely don’t believe in charms or that our destinies are pre-determined and pre-written. For such a smart guy, @MRSHINEYSHOES doesn’t seem to have so much Wisdom.