The Dao is similar to how all the atoms in the universe are ordered, leading to outcomes that are already determined, i.e. determinism.
And the Dao is manifested in reality as the De. For example, we all have our personalities. So, our personalities come from something. And that something is already predetermined. Then our highest calling is to quiet our mind and follow what is already there.

People have their own Dao, along with the Dao of Nature, and the Dao of Heaven. By resisting our desires (for example, our desire for riches, of which we never have enough) we can follow the Dao of Nature, which follows the Dao of Heaven, which follows the way of spontaneity.
The sage “does this and not that”.
And what does a sage look like?

from The Classic of the Dao, a New Investigation. Wang Keping