This is the 4217th most frequent German word.
bestimmen
"Bestimmen" means "to determine" or "to decide."
The phrase 'über mein Leben bestimmen' uses 'bestimmen' to convey the meaning of deciding or controlling one's own life.
Ich möchte selbst über mein Leben bestimmen.
I want to determine my own life.
Here, 'bestimmen' is used in the sense of identifying or specifying something through analysis or investigation.
Die Wissenschaftler konnten die genaue Ursache des Problems bestimmen.
The scientists were able to identify the exact cause of the problem.
In this context, 'bestimmen' means to establish or dictate rules or policies.