That's because timing is the crucial factor. Only in the moments when we are vulnerable to change can we change through intention. These moments come in the extremes of our oscillations in love and wisdom. But we can miss these moments too. In the turbulence of the turning point the human soul directly influences events by clearly apprehending them.
Clear apprehension needs meditative stillness.
Meditative stillness influences our destiny in the direction of free choice during turning points. According to our intentions, we fan out on a radial from the turning point. There is an art of framing intentions, based on bravery and stillness and understanding the potentialities of the moment in the light of the larger polar patterns of love and wisdom. The Jewish world attempts to orchestrate teshuvah through the rituals and prayers of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur. They peel off our egotism and time our personal turning points to larger communal, seasonal, and spiritual cycles.