I’d like you to try a little experiment.
The next time you’re chatting with someone,
Ask her or him about their unfulfilled ambitions.
Phrase your question something like this, “If you could make a living doing what you love, what would that be?”
Then…
Listen carefully for a few key phrases.
Phrases like, “If only I was in a better situation…”
Or words such as, “One day—I don’t know—maybe I’ll give it a try…”
Or maybe something like, “When (fill in the blank) happens, then I might be able to do it…”
What’s the point of this exercise?
Well, you might remember, the other day, I said I’d explain the difference between Cause and Effect.
Why is this important?
Because if you’re seriously thinking about making the leap,
Then understanding the implications of Cause and Effect is a crucial first step, one so important, it might well be the key element needed in achieving your desired goal.
And there’s no better way to demonstrate Cause and Effect than through our experiment.
You see, what’s important to understand is that,
When someone uses sentences with words such as, “If only…” or “One day…” or “When…”
They are making excuses for not doing what they truly want to do.
And that’s called Living at Effect.
Living at Effect means that, though we have a dream, we unfortunately see it as one that’s much too difficult, or one that’s simply unattainable.
It effectively means that we’re letting something that everyone experiences (fear, indecision, self-doubt) hold us back.
Living at Cause, however, means not giving in to fear or indecision.
It means not letting any of that deter us,
And it means making a decision to, quite simply, Go for it!
It means, if we want to savour reward,
We’ll need to start using different words.
Words like, “How can I make this happen?”
Instead of “If only I could make it happen.”
Words like, “What if it is possible? What if it is possible to do it now?”
Instead of, “Well, maybe, one day, it will be possible.”
Living at Cause means changing our mindset,
Away from indecision and self-doubt,
Toward possibility. Toward potential.
You know, there’s a blogger, an author—Everett Bogue—that I’m following.
Everett Bogue writes about his minimalist life.
I enjoy reading Everett for a number of reasons;
He’s entertaining, he has great and, sometimes, controversial ideas.
And he shares a wonderful, inspiring message about getting rid of stuff in order to live a full life.
But the first thing I recognized in Everett was that he’s living at Cause.
Why do I say that?
Because, as explained on his blog, one day he came to a few decisions.
One day he decided to quit his job, move to a new city and just live with less.
Those are not easy—nor commonplace—decisions.
But, he did it.
Do you see what I mean?
Whether he knew or not, at one point he decided to live at Cause.
And the rest followed.
It doesn’t really take much, when you think about it.
Just a simple decision, really.
And where does that leave you?
I think it leaves you back at our experiment.
Search for those key words, “If only…” or “One day…”
But rather than seeking them out in others.
See if you’re the one using them.
Then make the decision to use different words.
And begin the transformation from Effect… to Cause.
It’s the perfect place to start.
Ideas? Suggestions? Questions? Please leave a comment.
