Welcome to the universal law where millions have made millions in the self-help world. The law of cause and effect. When you do something, something happens. Shocker. The law of cause and effect is a staple in the self-help world, but there is so much more.

When I was around 25, I started a very deep personal development journey, which started with reading The Secret. And although I naturally gravitate to books on manifestation, the law of attraction, universal laws, and other mindset books, I have read the spectrum on self help books. Some are great. Some have great marketing teams. But at the end of the day – there are really just a few concepts and themes that repeat in all self-help books.

What Is The Law Of Cause and Effect

The law of cause and effect is one of the few themes in many self-help books, although I don’t recall a book actually calling it a universal law of the law of cause and effect. But essentially it is. Most books say something to the effect of

You control your life

You reap what you sow.

There are no accidents.

You control your destiny.

The power of YOU.

YOU YOU YOU YOU

Which is true. If you want to inflict massive change in your life, YOU have to inflict massive change in your life. If you want to be successful, YOU Have to be successful. If you want to make money, YOU Have to make money. If you want to be happy, YOU have to be happy. YOU have all the power.

But how?

It’s the law of cause and effect.

The law of cause and effect basically says for everything that happens, there was something that caused it. And every time something is caused, there is an effect on that cause. Rocket science huh?!

You reap what you sow is my favorite way to think about this. You can’t plant apple seeds expecting watermelon. The cause of planting apple seeds will result in the effect of Apples.

Why The Law of Cause and Effect is important

Your life right now is a direct correlation to the actions you are taking. The effect of your life is due to your cause. Your cause(s) is creating your effects. There is no way around that.

Are you fat and unhealthy? You caused that.

Bad finances? YOu caused that.

Shitty relationships? You caused that.

Don’t like your job? You caused that.

Name anything in life. The things that you are choosing to do is creating the effect in your life. It is no one’s fault but yours and yours alone.

The things you are doing – thinking – being – believing in – is the cause that is creating the effect in your life. No one else but what YOU are doing.

Not your boss. Not your mommy. Not your daddy. Not your wife. YOU. And YOU alone.

How’s that for personal empowerment? (See what is a theme in self-help?!).

But here is the beauty of this. Because everything that is an effect in your life is caused by you, guess who has the power to change it?

If you get mad that you are planting watermelon seeds and getting watermelons and not apples, guess what the solution is? Plant apple seeds.

If you want a different effect in your life, you have to change the cause that is going on. To think that you will get a different effect doing the same cause over and over and over is the definition of insanity. Change what you do to get a different effect. Change what you think, believe in, be, do, everything, and the cause will happen.

There are no accidents. Success is not built on luck or something radical happenstance. It is the effort your put in. It is the cause that you inflict for the result. Everything happens for a reason – and that reason is YOU.

How To Use The Law Of Cause and Effect

The law of cause and effect is an easy law to use. Simply change what you are doing. Here are some tips to help.

1. Watch the experts. Sometimes, you know you need to change the cause to change the effect, but you just aren’t sure what the new cause should be. This is where someone who has already been there and done that can help. Someone has done it before. Find that person, whether it is a friend or a mentor. Talk to them, ask for advice, and change the cause.
2. Take an inventory. A huge problem with the world today is people settle. They settle in their jobs, life, house, family, relationship, finances, etc. They get comfortable where they are at, and never once question the cause and effect relationship. Take an inventory of your life and see if you are where you want to be. If not – change the cause to change the effect.
3. Change the cause. This is where people fall short when it comes to this concept. People know what they want. People know where they are doing, and where they want to go. They even know the causes that are creating the effect in their life today. Yet they don’t change the cause. They are fearful that changing the cause will change the effect, and the effect will make their life be different. It will. That is the point. If you don’t want to change, don’t change. If you want to change the effect, change the cause. The bigger the change the better.
4. ACTION. MASSIVE ACTION. I cannot say this enough – you have to change. You have to do something! It is so easy to get into cruise control on life and get complacent on where you are at in life. Action is the cure for that. Keep pushing your cause-and-effect relationship to move forward. Action – every day – and in mass amounts. That is how you change the cause.

There you have it! That is the law of cause and effect. Head back to our 12 universal laws page to read more on the 12 universal laws that can change your life.