Trust that everything will work out in the end

“I invoked my Tenth Commandment: ‘Do what ought to be done’."

—Gretchen Rubin, The Happiness Project

In December 2016, while volunteering in Curitiba, Brazil, I came across a saying that deeply resonated with me: “tudo vai dar certo”, which translates to “everything will turn out right”. This phrase reflected my approach to situations, where I focused on making the right decisions and believed that favorable outcomes would follow.

However, after encountering another phrase recently, I realized that the saying I cherished lacked a complementary aspect. The phrase “do what oughts to be done” perfectly summarizes the thought process I actually had.

As a non-native English speaker, I sometimes notice nuances in language that might seem trivial to others. For instance, the auxiliary verb “ought” carries a sense of moral responsibility, unlike “have” or “should”, which respectively suggest breakable obligations and recommendations. This sense of moral responsibility helps eliminate the common question, “do I really have to?” and reassures me that, since it’s my responsibility to act in a certain way, there’s no other option than to follow through. By doing what needs to be done, I trust that tudo vai dar certo in the end.

Image by pch.vector on Freepik.