The law of cause and effect is one of the laws that I have learned to abide by in critiquing or improving my life. We often don’t realize how much power we have over own lives based on our own choices and the decisions we make.

This law does not discriminate, waiver or only apply when convenient. Simply said, if I do this, then this will happen. When applying the principle that “When I do good things, good things happen and when I do bad things, bad things happen,” the ability to stop and think before making a decision becomes a way of life.

It was a harsh reality when I began to sift through the “unnessacaries” of my life and I realized that I brought the majority of them to myself. I eventually submitted to the fact that I could no longer blame God, my mother, my father or even my kindergarten teacher for the results of some of my own poor choices and to take ownership for the things I needed to release.

It is not to say that life will not often times throw us some curve balls. However, if we live a healthy life, we will have the ability and strength to handle those curves. Adding unnecessary baggage to our own lives weakens us in the time of life’s lessons. Taking the life that we are blessed with by the reigns and steering in a more enlightened direction shifts our whole world.

A few healthy actions and reactions are:

• When we eat healthier, we tend to be healthier.
• When we hang out with those with good intentions, good experiences follow.
• When we give love, we receive love.

Thus, the unhealthy actions and reactions are:

• When we put unhealthy things in our body, we become unhealthy.
• When we hang out with those with bad intentions, bad experiences follow.
• When we are mean to others, others become resentful toward us.

The law of cause and effect is one we call all abide by no matter our age, class, religion or social status. These are the basic principles we can again teach to the children in our homes and in our communities.

As we enter into yet another season, let’s pause and think about whether our choices are best for us and those around us. The more positive actions we put into the atmosphere, the more positive reactions we will see around us.

“In a moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing to do.” – Theodore Roosevelt

Ayeshah Bulls is a freelance writer and the author of Stripped, published in 2008. She is a Northsider, active volunteer and currently attends Carlow University for Psychology. She hopes her column promotes hope and the will to progress on the Northside.