#78 - The Law of Cause and Effect: Own the Power of Your Choices and Create a Life You Love

In this episode, we are celebrating the new month with a special episode on the law of cause and effect; we will take a look at the law itself, explore the key concepts and challenges of the law and end with a simple four step process we can all deploy today to create lives we love. 

Let it Grow - Bombargo

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self-improvement, mindset, growth journey, intentional living, spiritual awakening, financial freedom, personal development, entrepreneurship, goal setting, wealth building, real estate investing, tax liens, networking, becoming your own bank, short term rentals, STR, airbnb, airbnb host, healthy living, health conscious, subconscious, reprogram your mind, authentic living, breaking free, infinite banking, living from the inside out, mindset transformation, letting go, success habits, financial literacy, meditation, positive psychology, resilience, abundance mindset, habit formation, emotional intelligence, self-reflection, investing in yourself, mental wellness, empowerment, inspirational stories, healthy habits, actionable advice, overcoming ...

Transcript

"Hello Everyone! Welcome to The Game of Life Podcast; I am Alexandria Burek and I am your host.

Thank you for picking my show; you will find this show is a blend of personal stories and life lessons covering a wide range of topics that are designed to help you live life, a little better everyday; my goal in sharing these personal stories, wins, whatever it may be is always to inspire you–my life is so radically different now even I am a bit amazed at the transformation that's taken place over the last 3 years. With that, no better time to get into it than the present. 

In this episode, we are celebrating the new month with a special episode on the law of cause and effect; we will take a look at the law itself, explore the key concepts and challenges of the law and end with a simple four step process we can all deploy today to create lives we love. 

I will kick it off with a little personal update. 

Personal Update:

My goal with the personal update is to put my money where my mouth is and lead by example. I’ll share three personal wins, sprinkle in some gratitude, drop a new original thought and leave you guys with a song I love (link will be in the show notes). 

Wins: 

First, the consulting marketing tool worked; results were better than I even expected and the conversations that came of it fueled me with so much creativity. Good things are coming.        

Second, I had the most amazing weekend with friends. I got to host one of my real estate friends, who I met virtually more than 2 years ago and finally got to meet face to face. Then I got to spend Saturday afternoon with what I am calling my newest best friend; her and I have known each other several years, but in the last couple we finally started hanging out and we both feel so energized and happy about our new friendship; such a good example of a relationship that is worth investing in. Then before I wrapped it up in Chicago, I got to go to my old stomping grounds, and get some amazing oysters and drinks with my very best friends.       

Third, we are in the final stages of getting the house ready for aribnb. I have a short list of items to knock out this week. I cannot be more excited to ACTUALLY get this going; I also met someone who’s friends are always looking for a place to stay, and it sounds like my place will be the perfect place for them. Direct bookings out of the gate would be INCREDIBLE.   

Gratitude: I am so grateful that everything in my life seems to be jiving, and flowing. It feels amazing to be accomplishing so much, to still have so much time with friends, and actually just ENJOYING life.    

Original Thought: Stay vigilant. If you take your foot off the gas long enough, eventually you will stop. This one is all about making progress everyday, even if it is the smallest thing you do OR choose not to do, progress keeps and builds momentum. Keep going. 

Feature song of the week. This week’s song is Let it Grow by Bombargo. It’s just a nice, happy little feel good indie song.

Food For Thought: The law of Cause and Effect

So in keeping with this year’s theme of the universal laws, we are covering the Law of Cause and Effect today. This law states that every action (cause) produces a corresponding outcome (effect). Nothing happens by chance; every event is a result of a preceding action. Beyond exploring this simplified definition of the law, we will look at five key principles, how we are challenged to use this law in our everyday lives and a couple of ways this law can be used to guide you on your journey. 

The law of cause and effect is foundational in science, philosophy, and spirituality: What you do creates consequences, predictable or not. Now for me that's where it can get a little scary, or at the very least a bit uncomfortable. It is relatively easy to work out, knowing you will eventually achieve the results you want, even if there is a bit of a gap between the work you do and the results you get, because the results are relatively predictable. Where you could easily get lost is if you begin to think of “all the different ways” your life might have turned out–all of the what ifs. I personally found myself doing a little of that while I was out in Chicago, walking by all of the places I considered buying–I found myself wondering how that path would have turned out for me, whether or not my life would be better or worse or just simply different –but there is no way to know and thinking about it will not be a good use of time. 

When I think about the law of cause and effect, I try to consider what consequences my current actions will create, and I try to do the ones that support my values and vision for my life as much as possible. I try to do the aligned things significantly more than the things that are counter to my values and vision, because I understand and respect the law of cause and effect. With that, let’s get to the five key principles of the Law of Cause and Effect: Casualty, Interconnectedness, Accountability, Time Lag, and Universality. 

First we will talk about causality. Causality asserts that nothing happens by chance; causality makes the claim that randomness does not exist; everything can be traced back to a specific event that caused the outcome. 

Then there is interconnectedness. When you think about interconnectedness and how it plays with the law of cause and effect, I’d like you to consider how other peoples actions impact the direction of your life. For example, maybe it was a mentor who, “saw something in you” and gave you extra attention an resources, maybe it was someone who rejected your job application that led you to be in this amazing career. Whatever it is, other people are constantly causing effects on your life without your even knowing. 

While you may not know who or how caused the circumstances that make your life amazing or miserable, your life is only yours, you are the only one who is responsible for your life. That’s where the third key principle of accountability comes in. You have to take radical ownership over your life and your actions. If you hate your life, only you are accountable for changing it; if you love your life, only you are accountable for protecting it. 

One of the hardest things in life, is delayed gratification. Or delayed results. Or what we will call here the time lag. The time it take for your actions to materialize; the time it takes for you to manifest the change you are creating. In my personal experience the life I am living now and the opportunities coming to fruition, were ones I dreamt up three years ago, and in the last year or two have made steady progress on. The things I put into motion in 2022, and 2023, and 2024 are finally manifesting. Stay vigilant. Stay persistent. Stay in the course and do not quit. As Steve furtik resently preached about, the universe and God, love repetition. 

The thing is, what I am saying if far from original. What I am saying is a well known fact. What I am doing and experiencing has been done time and time and time again by so many people. That is because of the universal nature of these laws. They apply to everyone. They are always at play. You are either intentionally choosing the life you live or unintentionally accepting the one you have. The choice is quite literally yours. 

Now that we understand the key principles driving the results of our lives, we must now seek to understand the challenges we might face, and establish ideas about how we will overcome them or accept them in a way that uniquely works for us. 

The hard truth is, we may have to wait much longer than we’d like, or we may not understand what specific causes lead to the circumstances of our lives, and we will likely be forced to accept some of the circumstances we are in.

I never would have guessed it would have taken me so long to rebuild my life; I did not foresee the time lag. That said, I am glad about the way I did it, because I know, the changes I’ve made are sustainable. They will last the test of time. The challenge here is the delayed effect, the solution is patience and an unshakable self belief. 

Despite having an incredible sense of self confidence and belief in myself, there are certain things about my life, that I simply cannot trace back to an action of mine that led me “here;” in some areas of my life, I can’t find a “why” behind certain life circumstances I’m either in or have overcome. That can be explained by a certain complexity that exists, for which we mere mortals cannot explain. 

There are circumstances we must simply accept and work with, rather than against; they may be the result of complexity or people we’ll never know, or perhaps we do know who caused our situation, maybe we know how we ended up in these circumstances, and maybe we feel like our circumstances are unfair. There is no doubt a perception of fairness that can frustrate us all. The good news is, if someone did something bad, it will eventually catch up with them. I know the people who violated me or “unfairly” stifled me will eventually experience a universally served up dose of karma–me, I have chosen to forgive those people, I know that because of the law of cause and effect, what they chose to do (cause) will eventually come back to them in circumstances that are unfavorable to them (effect), no matter how much time passes between cause and effect. In the meantime, it is my objective to be a force for good–a bright light despite whatever circumstances arise. 

So how do we use these principles to create a tail wind in our lives when it comes to the law of cause and effect? We are going to cover four strategies to bring this law into our daily behaviors to create lives we LOVE. Benjamin Hardy has a fantastic quote that is on my refrigerator, it says “My past self does not dictate my future; My future self dictates my current behaviors.” That is the law of cause and effect–Do, Be, Get; do the things, become the person, get the results. 

So lets create our dream lives using long-term thinking, setting clear intentions, mindful decision-making, and holding ourselves accountable. 

First, we need to deploy long-term thinking. We need to think about and decide what we are going after. For me this is becoming a millionaire. I can use that as a north star to guide my current behaviors and decisions. What is your north star for decision making in the present? Is it being a mom? There are certain things you can do, intentions you can set and actions you can take, to ensure that you achieve the vision you have. 

Now, we will tie our long term vision to very clear action items and set clear intentions. So for me, becoming a millionaire includes buying and holding real estate, leveling up my career, and improving my network. The specific actions tied to these intentions are to buy as much real estate as possible while letting other people pay for it, develop skills like consulting, speaking, and trading to improve my career, and going to so many networking events. What are the intentions you need to set, and specific actions you need to take in order to get to your north star as fast and as efficiently as possible?

As you are working toward your north star, you will be tempted to stray, you will feel at times defeated, so, what you can do is, deploy mindful decision making. I just learned about this ACT Therapy which seems exactly similar. Today, I wanted a beer, but I had a lot to do and I wanted to try out my new running shoes. I knew I would not run after having a beer. SO. I paused. I thought about my LONG TERM VISION for my life, I thought about the intentions I set, and instead of having a beer, I went for a walk, drank 40oz of alkaline water and worked on this script. It only takes a second to pause, accept that you want what you want, and then consider how that action fits with your long term vision and values. By the time you get through that exercise, it becomes a no brainer. 

Last, take responsibility. If you choose to act in a way that is counter to your long term vision, own it and get the train back on the tracks. There is a saying in Japanese, once you realize you got on the wrong train, you need to get off as fast as possible, otherwise it will only take you longer to get back to where you need to be. Same applies here. Don’t waste time beating yourself up or riding the wrong train. Be accountable to yourself. Recognize your misstep, then correct it as fast as possible. 

Closeout

You guys, I hope you enjoyed this episode. I hope you are ready to get out in the world and use the law of cause and effect to your advantage. Envision what you want for your life long term, set intentions, make decisions mindfully, and hold yourself accountable for building the life you envisioned. 

Thank you so much for spending this time with me—I hope it’s making your day, and maybe your life, a little better. I’d love your thoughts on what I shared today—leave a comment, shoot me a text via the fanmail link in the show notes, either way I would love to hear what’s sticking with you! If you loved this, or even just liked it, please share the show and or give it a 5 star rating! 

Get out in the world. Do good. Be good. Byeeeee.