Make Good Decisions: Part 3 - Cause & Effect

What Would Your Life Be Like…
…if you had no debt; if you possessed vibrant health; if you did what you wanted to do; if your relationships were amazing; if you were focused and driven; if you celebrated life everyday; if you made meaningful contribution; if you had authentic happiness; if you lived your life like you only get one?

Suppose for a moment that you were told your answer to one question would determine whether you lived or died. The question would contain no difficult words, no complicated double negatives, and no symbolism. You could have as long as one year to prepare, with no restrictions, and unlimited access to any resource in the world. However, once you committed to answering the question, there would be no turning back. (Continued next week).

The world we live in is an imperfect place, filled with pain, turmoil, and struggle. Not a welcoming place for those who claim to be perfectionists. The innocent are occasionally accused, the young are sometimes abused, and the elderly are often ignored. Nonetheless, we make the best of it – we learn to take lemons and make lemonade. However, most of us, at one point or another, have asked ourselves (or someone else) a question such as: Why is this happening to me or to someone I love? Or, how can I keep this from happening again?

It’s perfectly normal (and human) for us to question painful events, and to try to make sense of the world around us. We’d like to know why humans suffer, and why people die. We all want explanations, if for no other reason than to understand why. Perhaps you’ve seen the popular and entertaining commercials “There are some things money can’t buy. For everything else, there’s Mastercard.” In a similar fashion, There are some things that happen for no reason. For everything else, there’s CAUSE and EFFECT.

The two words: CAUSE and EFFECT are well worth taking some time to think about, particularly if we want to have a better understanding of why so many things turn out the way they do. For example, if we drive carelessly (the CAUSE), chances are much greater that we will be involved in an accident (the EFFECT). Or if we spend more money than we earn (the CAUSE), there’s a strong likelihood that we will soon be in debt (the EFFECT). Actually, CAUSE and EFFECT (or C&E) is much more common than many of us think. For example, computer programmers rely on C&E (which they call “if – then” statements) to produce a certain result. Pilots rely on C&E to fly their aircraft. They know they must maintain a minimum airspeed, or they risk losing control.

If we took the time to really think about it, we’d realize that C&E is at the heart of most disciplines; from engineering, to medicine, science, education, finance, music, and so on. It’s the basis of research – finding out why things behave in certain ways. It’s the heart of invention. It’s the mindset of sports.

On an individual basis however, the real benefit to considering C&E is simple: fantastic choices can almost always be correlated back to taking time to carefully think through C&E. For example, maybe I would like have Y occur. CAUSE and EFFECT tells me that if I do X, then Y will likely occur. Conversely, if I don’t want Y to happen, I probably shouldn’t do X.

With this in mind, here are a few “practically guaranteed” C&E sequences to consider:
· I will not spend more money than I earn. If I do, the effect will be debt.
· I will start eating healthier. If I do, the effect will be more energy, better BMI, and a greater positive attitude.
· I will not attempt to take on more than is reasonable. If I do, the effect will be stress, disappointment, and frustration.
· I will be grateful for all that I have and all that I am. If I am, the effect will be contentment and appreciation for others in my life.
· I will not be stingy with my time, energy and money. If I am, the effect will be discovering that the more I try to hold on to, the less I will end up keeping.
· I will pursue my purpose in life and fulfill it. If I do, the effect will be finding true happiness, success and fulfillment.

Most of us make hundreds of choices every day. Usually we don’t even think about them – we just make them. Oftentimes we’re in a rush to get something done, go somewhere, or get prepared for the next thing that calls for our attention. With all that goes on around us, it’s easy to think that we can elude CAUSE & EFFECT; however, that is a hoax. Just like the law of gravity, CAUSE & EFFECT is almost impossible to defy.

We can spend our lives making one bad choice after another, and then wonder what went wrong. Or we can pause before important decisions, gather relevant information, think them through, and then take the best path.

If you’d like to ask a question, I’d love to hear from you; email me: drh@justimagineseminars.com. Until next time, I’m Dr. H. K. Holevinsky for www.justimagineseminars.com.