Universal Law Series - The Law Of Cause & Effect

This is the third of seven articles in our continuing series on Universal Law. The focus of this article is the Law of Cause & Effect. Based on the Socratic law of causality, this Law is so profound and powerful that it has been referred to as the “Iron Law of Human Destiny”.

Law of Cause & Effect:

The Law of Cause & Effect states that absolutely everything happens for a reason. All actions have consequences and produce specific results, as do all inactions. The choices we make are causes, whether they are conscious or unconscious, and will produce corresponding outcomes or effects. The Law works the same for everyone at all times.

Distilled down to the simplest possible terms, this Law states that for every outcome or effect in one’s life, there is a specific cause; poor diet and exercise habits result in poor health, constant and uncontrolled spending results in debt and money worries, not putting effort into your key relationships results in poor relationships and all of the associated issues.

The law can also be applied in the physical sense through examination of Sir Isaac Newton’s third Law of Motion, which states that “for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.” If, for example, you were to hold your hand over a candle’s flame (the cause) the effect would be that your hand would burn and it would hurt! While this is an extreme example, it serves to illustrate the point very well.

Consider another situation which is specific to business. Imagine that your business is so successful you cannot keep up with the demand – a nice problem to have! Eventually, the levels of customer service deteriorate as your staff attempts to cope with the problem. You receive complaints and employee morale begins to suffer.

At this point, you have a choice to make – try to muddle through with the existing situation or hire more people. This is a difficult decision as there are many unknowns when hiring – will you get the right person, will he / she be part of the solution or part of the problem, what will happen to your cash flow etc.

Whichever decision you make becomes the cause – either you hire or don’t. The effect is the result of the decision. If you hired someone, there should be some relief for your existing staff, and customers should become happier with your service (providing of course, you hired the right person and then invested to train them properly). If the decision was to not hire, the effect would likely be dissatisfied, and eventually, lost customers and potentially lost employees as well – unless you can find another solution (cause) to implement (process re-engineering etc.). This is a recipe for disaster which could easily see the business fail altogether – the ultimate effect.

The same holds true with your personal relationships. If you treat the important people in your life with respect, love, compassion, dignity and honesty (cause), you will experience loving, solid relationships – which lead to happiness, fulfillment and peace of mind (effect).

Making It Work For You:

The truly wonderful thing about this law is that by definition then, we should be able to manifest that which we truly want (the effect) simply by exerting the same causes that others before us have exerted and been successful. Let me explain:

If you have a desire to be a successful and highly paid businessperson in your chosen field, then you should be able to look back and study what made others, before you, successful. What books did they read, courses did they study, beliefs did they hold, actions did they take?

If you were to emulate the things they did to be successful, you would achieve the same results over a period of time. If, over time, this does not occur, it is likely because there is something different in what you were doing – some vital piece of information that is missing.

What You Can Do:

There are three action exercises, which you can put in place immediately, to help you get more of what you want:

1. Determine the Cause & Effect relationships in the areas in which you want improvement or success. Identify the specific things you will need to do in order to get the results that you desire.

2. Take action! Make the decision to focus on, and do, the things that other successful people have done in those areas. Half the battle is taking action. It is your ability to actually begin that will set you apart from the majority of the population.

3. Persevere. If you take action and do the things that others have done, you will eventually get the desired results. Rome was not built in a day and it has taken you a lifetime to get into the position in which you now find yourself. Success takes time, so if it doesn’t seem to be working immediately, don’t give up! Stay focused, analyze your causes to ensure you are doing the right things; tweak your approach if necessary – you will get the desired results!

There is no mystery to achieving success - it is available to all of us. One need only be aware of, understand and live in accordance with Universal Law!