Cause and Effect

I have recently been thinking about cause and effect. Doesn't sound like your run of the mill thought, but after doing some reading, this concept keeps spinning around in my head.

So many times we sit around to see what is going to happen. We are in a game and we get stuck in the worlds of "Hope" and "Wonder." How many of us have had a thought similar to, "I hope this happens, so that we win," or, "If this would have happened, I wonder if it would have made a difference." Many times we sit back and react to situations as they occur. We let things play themselves out and we just deal with the effects. What if we were to change our thoughts and practices from dealing with the effects from causes we just allow to happen, and begin being the causes?

If we could be the cause, then we could have greater control of the effects. Here is a situation: we practice 1st and 3rd defense. We are focused and practice every possible scenario. We are prepared when we meet this challenge in a game. In most games the offense is considered to be in control. They force the defenses hand. Turn it around and give the control to the defense because of their hard work and preparation and now the defense causes the offense to make a mistake or play the guessing game as to what the defense will do.

Why wait around and see what is going to happen when you can play a major role in narrowing down or predicting the outcome? We place ourselves in control, which greatly increases the self-confidence of the individual and the confidence of the team. I have seen teams that were losing, but you would never know it. Their presence was one of confidence and even though their opponent was winning, the opponent played with fear. The opponent is now playing not to lose rather than to win, which greatly enhances the chances of the team playing with confidence.

Choose to be the "cause," choose confidence in any and every situation.

"Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, "Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?" Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we're liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others." Marianne Williamson, Author