Perspectives
The Secret Behind the Secret:
Seven Laws that Guarantee Your Career and Business Success
by
George Hendley
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“The probability that we may fail in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just.” Abraham Lincoln
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In our first article in this series we discussed universal laws - mental laws
that impact our lives each and every
day. If you missed the first one here’s the link that will take you to that
article for a quick three minute review. Don’t forget to hurry back. We’ll
be waiting until you return. http://www.dallasastd.org/news/ASTD/Articles/Secret_art1.htm.
Aren’t you glad you did that? Now that you’re up to date and raring to go
let’s begin this month’s installment.
Socrates
Knew It, What About You?
The law of Causality as Socrates
referred to it is also known to us as the law of Cause and Effect. Some have
called it ‘the Iron Law’ of the universe and it states that everything
happens for a reason. Everything! There are no accidents because we live in a
world governed by laws and this is one of the most important ones.
Everything happens for a reason, not by chance but by law, even if we
don’t recognize or understand it. There are specific causes for career and
business success just as there are specific causes for career and business
failure. Nothing happens by chance or luck. Period.
If there is an effect (an outcome)
in your life that you want more of you simply trace it back to its causes and
repeat the causes. As an example, if you have recently been singled out by
your boss for a raise, a job promotion with recognition and awards you can
look closely at what you’ve done over the past months or years to see what
were the causes that led to these positive outcomes (effects). There will
always be a reason or reasons (causes) that brought about these effects.
Always!
A wonderful Scottish proverb says, ‘it
is better to light one wee candle than to curse the darkness’. Just as
the law works on the positive side it also works on the negative. If you are
seeing effects or outcomes that are not what you want the same steps will work
to help unveil and shed light on the problem (the causes). This will give you
a recognition and clarity of what you need to change. This is not an easy
examination, but the end results of changing the wrong causes can lead to a
happy ending with new and better effects (outcomes). That’s what you want,
isn’t it?
Sow
it and you’ll reap it
You are ‘the cause’ and your
life is ‘the effect’. But let’s dig a little deeper into the cause. All
causation is mental. Your thoughts are the causes for all of the conditions in
your life. Some will argue vehemently against that truth but arguing doesn’t
negate any law. It is what it is. If you have parts of your life (perhaps the
whole thing) that really stink, well, look in the mirror or dig deep into your
mind. There is a phrase, ‘stinking thinking’, that might just apply here.
Thoughts are causes and conditions
are effects. Everything you are or ever will be is the result of your
thoughts. Where your thoughts go and stay (the throne or the throne room),
there too go you, be it good or bad. What you are reaping today is a result
(an outcome or effect) of what you’ve sown in the past. When you change the
quality or direction of your thinking, you’ll change the quality or
direction of your life. This law of sowing and reaping is another subset of
the greater law of cause and effect.
Thoughts are the seeds of your words
and your deeds. When you think it, harbor it, incubate it and give it time,
you’ll reap that result; you’ll see that fruit, right or wrong, positive
or negative. Biblical wisdom
says, ‘…for whatsoever a man soweth,
that shall he also reap.’
Typically, what you sow (just like a
seed), brings back more - much more of the same. When you put a kernel of corn
in the ground you don’t expect to get just one kernel back. It comes back
multiplied if it’s a healthy kernel and in good growing conditions. Sow a
thought, reap an attitude. Sow an attitude, reap a habit. Sow a habit, reap a
character. Sow a character, reap a lifestyle. Thoughts are things, powerful
things. What thoughts are you sowing today?
“We
are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”
Aristotle
It’s
Just a Matter of Time
I can remember a time in sixth grade
when I had an assignment that I had not completed and knew if I turned it in
incomplete it would really hurt my grade. To avoid going to school that day I
feigned sickness and told my Mom I had to stay home because I felt so bad.
Reluctantly she agreed, but also began to treat me as if I were truly sick.
Strangely enough, within an hour I did start feeling lousy, sick and unable to
even think about completing my assignment. It took me most of the rest of that
day to reprogram my thoughts and realize I wasn’t sick and I needed that
time to complete that assignment so I could go back to school the next day. By
my thinking, I had caused the effect of truly feeling sick.
Thoughts are things, powerful
things. What thoughts are you sowing to cause the effects you really want and
not the effects you want to avoid?
About
the Author: George Hendley works with coaches, consultants and
business leaders who are successful, but not satisfied. He is an award winning
mentor and distributor for Inscape Publishing and is in the top 1% of sales
leaders in the world. George is a
coach, consultant and author and expects to publish his first book this year.
Contact George at 972.234.4377 or George@georgehendleypresents.com.