| Many people don't really understand the gift they have | | | | focused on the problems in my life, my mind is directing |
| been given in their ability to be decisive. According to | | | | the Law of Cause and Effect to bring more of the |
| the dictionary, decisiveness means 'having the power | | | | same types of negative experiences into my life. Well, I |
| or quality of settling a dispute, question, doubt, contest, | | | | am having none of that anymore, thank you very |
| event, etc.' How individuals use this power of | | | | much. |
| decisiveness will strongly influence the quality of life | | | | When I interpret things in a positive way, it makes me |
| that they experience. | | | | feel good and then my mind is focused on good and |
| Not long ago, I really began to understand how my | | | | the Law of Cause and Effect will bring more good into |
| decisions affect my life. My husband and I were going | | | | my life. It sounds like a better plan to me. Besides, most |
| through a difficult time when he lost his job due to his | | | | of the time when we interpret a situation in a negative |
| company merging with another organization. I could | | | | way, we are usually not being realistic, we blow things |
| have been optimistic about the situation, looking at it as | | | | out of proportion, and we make them worse than they |
| a chance for him to get a better job. However, instead | | | | really are. If I am not going to be realistic about a |
| of looking at it in this manner, I experienced the situation | | | | situation anyway, I might as well do it so it empowers |
| as me being a helpless victim of life who was | | | | me. And that is exactly what I have decided to do. |
| suffering some cruel injustice that I did not deserve. | | | | WHAT DECISIONS ARE YOU MAKING? |
| I complained about my circumstances to anyone who | | | | The problem with decisiveness is that most of us do |
| would listen. "Why was my life getting harder?" "Why | | | | not really understand the extent to which we can |
| were problems that I thought I had successfully | | | | make decisions in our lives. We may think we can |
| overcome once again resurfacing?" I believed that life | | | | make decisions about some things but not others. But |
| was totally unfair. I was having a great big pity party | | | | that is not true. We can absolutely decide how we are |
| and I wasn't even having any fun. (Even peak | | | | going to experience life - whether it will be a struggle |
| performance experts sometimes forget the things | | | | or a joy. Sometimes we are so enmeshed in our |
| they teach others and find themselves in the depths of | | | | unconscious negative choices that it takes enormous |
| despair.) Finally, as I sat in an advanced spirituality class, | | | | self-discipline to tell ourselves, "No. I have decided to |
| the minister must have gotten tired of hearing me | | | | experience this situation differently. I am not going to |
| complain and she bluntly told me that my life could be | | | | allow my thoughts to go back to places that I don't |
| easier if I decided that it would be. I felt like I had been | | | | want." The Law of Cause and Effect will always |
| struck between the eyes with 2 by 4. I was more than | | | | cooperate with our choice and bring us whatever we |
| slightly insulted by that comment and my first reaction | | | | decide. |
| was to get my things together at break time and go | | | | Most of us are very strong in the decisions we make |
| home. | | | | in some areas of our lives, but we don't assert our |
| However, the following morning a funny thing | | | | power in our thoughts. Think about a food that you |
| happened. As I thought about my teacher's comments, | | | | really hate, something that you would not eat under |
| I decided that she was absolutely right. I decided to | | | | any circumstances. If I put it in front of you and asked |
| believe that my life would be easy and flowing with | | | | you to eat it, you would probably say, "No way. I am |
| harmony, peace, joy and abundance. My pity party | | | | not eating that. Never in a million years." No problem |
| was over and I finally began to experience joy again. | | | | making a firm decision in that situation. Well, why not |
| Actually, I began to get downright excited about all of | | | | assert that same firmness when it comes to negative |
| the wonderful prospects in my life. | | | | thinking? When a negative thought comes to you, |
| Why did I have such a tough time initially? It was | | | | pretend it is that despised food being offered to you |
| because I believed that I had to react negatively to | | | | and say "No way. I am not allowing any of that into my |
| what was going on in my life, not realizing that by doing | | | | mind." The law will respond to your decision and that |
| so, I was really deciding the course of my future. I | | | | thought will not find its way in. |
| thought that I should be disappointed, frustrated and | | | | THE PRACTICAL SIDE OF DECISIVENESS |
| scared because things were not going the way I | | | | Being decisive in how you will experience life is really |
| thought they should. However, I now understand that | | | | very practical. A number of years ago, I was teaching |
| my unconscious decision to respond to the situation | | | | a course in an urban area in New Jersey in a section |
| negatively guaranteed that I would experience more of | | | | that is infested with drug pushers, addicts, and others |
| the same. I did not understand that I could make a firm | | | | who are operating at the lowest levels of life. One |
| decision to perceive the events in my life in a different | | | | night as I was getting ready to park my car, I heard a |
| way. | | | | big commotion. When I turned to see what was |
| MAKE A DIFFERENT DECISION | | | | happening, I saw a woman holding a knife with a |
| Many of us think we have no choice as to how to | | | | ten-inch blade. She was menacingly close to some guy |
| respond to life. But we absolutely do. Every response | | | | and she was yelling about how she was going to stab |
| that we have is, in reality, a decision and the Law of | | | | him with it. To say that I experienced a little fear is an |
| Cause and Effect will make sure that we experience | | | | understatement. My first thought was to stay in the |
| more of that decision in the future. The Law of Cause | | | | car because if she noticed me, I might become sliced |
| and Effect states that whatever we focus on (good | | | | meat. Then I decided that I was not about to let my |
| or bad), we will attract into our lives. Don't be fooled by | | | | thoughts go in that direction. I also decided to know |
| its seeming simplicity. This is an extremely powerful | | | | that everywhere I go peace, harmony, and security |
| law that has a major impact on our lives. | | | | surround me. Immediately afterward, someone took |
| I have decided to interpret everything that happens in | | | | the knife away from the woman and all was calm. |
| my life as something positive and as evidence that | | | | The following night when I arrived to teach another |
| greater good is coming into my life. Some people may | | | | class, the neighborhood was calm, peaceful and |
| think I am crazy and not being realistic. I don't care. | | | | serene. As I walked into the place where the classes |
| When I interpret things the way any 'normal' person | | | | were held, one of the students told me that there had |
| would (which means negatively), it prevents me from | | | | just been a big fight between some guys right in front |
| moving forward, it causes me to doubt myself, and I | | | | of the building. It ended just before I arrived. I decided |
| feel pessimistic about my future. I've had enough | | | | to experience peace and harmony wherever I go and |
| experience to know that when my thoughts are | | | | the Law of Cause and Effect responded. |