Being at Cause to Get Results

Are you at Cause?

Here at Somersault HQ, we have a favourite equation.

C > E

Cause is greater than Effect.

We believe that in order to achieve what you want in life, you need to be very firmly on the Cause side of the equation.

Being at Cause means identifying what you want in life and then taking the actions that you know will enable you to achieve it. When you are at cause, you’re setting goals, focusing on what you want and each day, you’re doing the things that you know you need to do to get the results that you want to achieve.

Being at Cause is all about being in charge of your own life, being flexible if things don’t go according to plan, being resilient and being positive in both your intentions and your actions.

You may know someone who is on the Effect side of the equation.  You’ll hear them say things like:

“I was going to X, but….”
“I would have X, but…”
“I could have done X, but…”
“I should have X, but…”

In essence, what you’ll hear are excuses for why they haven’t achieved what they wanted to achieve or you may even hear them blame others as being the reason why they’re not where they want to be in life.

Excuses may sound like:

“I’m too tired”
“It’s too cold to get out of bed in the mornings”
“I haven’t got someone to exercise with”
“I can’t get motivated”
“It’s too hard for me”
“I’m just big-boned”

So, what’s the difference? Check out this scenario. Cause and Effect decide that they’re going to start exercising together to get fit for Summer. Here’s how the conversation goes.

Cause:  “Let’s go for a walk tomorrow morning before work”
Effect:  “I would, but I can’t get up that early in the morning”
Cause:  “Okay. Let’s go for a walk together at lunchtime”
Effect:  “There’s not enough time at lunchtime and I don’t want to eat my lunch at my desk”
Cause:  “Oh.  Okay then.  Let’s go for a walk after work”
Effect:  “I couldn’t do that, I’ll be too tired after working all day”

And that sums up the difference.

If you’re at Cause you get RESULTS
If you’re at Effect you get REASONS why you haven’t achieved the results you wanted.

To find out whether you’re on the Cause or the Effect side of the equation, ask yourself these questions:

• Do you make excuses such as “I’m too tired” or “I haven’t got enough time” or “No-one will support me” that stop you from taking the actions you need to take to achieve your goals?
• Do you blame others for the fact you’ve not taken action “If my mum hadn’t rung me for a chat when I got in from work, I could have gone to the gym”
• Do you speak positively to yourself or does negative self-talk dominate?

OR

• Do you create SMART, inspiring, motivating goals and then take steps to achieve them?
• Do you appreciate that sometimes the unexpected happens and you need to change your plans and be flexible in order to achieve what you want to achieve?
• Do you speak to yourself positively and act as your own ‘cheer squad’?

Of course, we all have times when we move to the effect side of the equation.  The secret is being able to recognise that you’ve chosen to be there and that you can do something positive to move yourself back into cause.  Whether that’s phoning a friend, going out for a walk or simply telling yourself “I CAN DO IT”, always remember that you are in charge of your own life and therefore, by defining what it is you want and by making the decision to take action to get it, you can achieve the results that you want to achieve and be at Cause in your life.

Stay tuned – next time we’ll share some of our Somersault Bootcamp top tips for being at cause in your life.

We’d also love to hear how you make things happen in your own life – post a comment, email us at workout@somersaultbootcamp.com, follow us on Twitter @somersaultboot or like us on facebook

Best wishes
Lara and the Somersault Team xx