Free will is very real. Every human being is free to do whatever they like, however, you never get to choose the consequences of your actions. This is a very simple thing to understand. Every result or effect you want will be determined by what you do. This is where it gets interesting; you do not get to do your best and demand the results you want. You must do whatever is required for the results you want. Stop doing your best and decide to fulfil the requirements for the results you want.
There are requirements for any achievement one aspires to. And it is your duty to find out the requirements and then find a way to go about fulfilling them. It is like seeking an admission into a prestigious academic institution, there will always be a list of certain conditions that must be met. This does not mean that people that fail to meet such conditions are not good people or well-intentioned. It simply means that they are not qualified; they have not done enough work for the results they want. A student that fails to earn enough credits to graduate does not get to insist that they have done their best and must be graduated.
Many people live their lives like a student that failed to earn enough credits for graduation and begins to throw a tantrum. Life does not care about your noble intentions and well nurtured heart. It is your actions that count. You have to do the kind of work that will bring you the kind of results you desire. Never become so focused on wealth that you forget that wealth is an effect driven by certain causes. The world operates on principles, and you have got to find the principles that govern the results you want. You are not wrong when you water-down principles and do whatever you like. However, you must remember to live with whatever results your compromise of discipline and principles bring.
