Law of Restoration

There are certain laws we must understand in order to obtain success.  These are often referred to as universal laws because they apply to all.  No one can cheat them, avoid them, overcome them, or not abide by them.  We are all subject to them and because of this, it is important that we learn what they are so that we can use them to our advantage.  Failing to do so will only hinder our progress and ability to be successful in life.  Today I’d like to write about one of these laws.  This particular universal law in my mind is often over looked or not well understood.  It is the Law of Restoration. 

The Law of Restoration essentially means that everything we do will be restored unto us or that which we send out into the universe shall return to us again.  Therefore, if we do good, good will come back to us.  If we do bad, or take advantage of others, or we are dishonest, etc., then those things will come back to us as well.  Everyone at some point in time will receive their just reward—their actions will be restored unto them.  Perhaps we could say this law is kind of like “Karma” and we’d be right.    

Just as it is impossible to plant an orange tree and receive apples, because of this law, in the same way it is impossible to do evil and receive good in return.  And the opposite is also true. Now you may be saying what a minute, I know plenty of people who are doing things wrong yet are enjoying great success right now.  The key to this statement is right now.  The Law of Restoration takes time to manifest itself.  It does not happen immediately and often times requires patience, hope, and faith on our part but this law will always come through.  It is a universal law that cannot be denied.    

As a parent I often find myself teaching my children about consequences.  For every action, I tell them, there is a consequence.  Through this simple lesson I am essentially teaching them about the universal Law of Restoration.  The consequence may be immediate or it may come weeks, years, or maybe even nearly a life time later but there are always consequences to our actions that will come.  Again, this is the Law of Restoration.    

Another way to explain this law is that we will all one day partake of the fruit of our labors whether they be good or evil.  If we sow good seeds than one day we will enjoy good fruit.  If the seeds we sow are bad, than bad fruit will be our reward.  If we seek to do good, we will have that which is good restored unto us and if we seek to do evil, we will have evil restored unto us—it is that simple.    

Understanding the Law of Restoration will greatly improve our lives and our success.  We must understand that honest hardwork and dedication will yield fruit.  Let’s take advantage of this law by doing all we can to have that which is good restored unto us!

Up to Us

“As human beings, we are responsible for our own lives. Our behavior is a function of our decisions, not our conditions.”
Stephen R. Covey

One of the most important things in life is our ability to choose.  We can choose to be happy or sad, to have a good attitude or bad, to work hard or be lazy, to take ownership for our results or blame others, and on and on.  It is truly amazing to me to know that the power is ours to make these choices and that no one is able to force us to be sad, lazy, or have a bad attitude because the choice is ours alone. 

So why do so many people live in misery?  Why are so many people unhappy?  Do we really choose this?  The answer is yes, we do.  And the reason so many of us do I think is because too often we believe we do not have a choice.  We believe in some way the world controls our happiness or our outcomes in life. This belief nearly always destroys our ability to be happy, and it is wrong.  The choice really is ours. 

So the challenge for today is to not allow others to control us or believe that we are not in control.  We cannot permit someone else to “put us” in a bad mood, “force us” to quit, or “lead us” to poor outcomes.  Because in reality, we make those choices not them.  Regardless of what is said, how we are treated, or what happens to us, we still decide.  To give people the power to control us or our attitudes, or actions, or behaviors, because of their actions is a choice we choose.  Let’s not make that choice.  Let’s decided now that we and only we will determine our attitudes, behaviors, happiness, and outcomes in life because we can!  Our success and happiness in life is really only up to us.      

Where is Your Heart--Part 2

Last week I wrote about the importance of our hearts and how this vital organ not only pumps our entire body full of life but it also holds the desires, feelings, and passion we have.  And because of this, what is in our hearts will often determine our success and happiness in life.  One of the greatest discoveries of life is that we can and do control what is in our heart.  So below are four easy things we can do to ensure our heart is in the right place and centered on the right things so that we can obtain the success and happiness in life we desire. 

#1—Reflect

Last week I gave a suggestion on how to ensure our hearts are in the right place and that is by simple, honest reflection.  I like to ask myself from time to time, “where is my heart”?  This question makes me pause and allows me to truly determine if my heart is in the right place or if it is off course.  Just admitting that I have a problem or that I am off course is really a good first step to making changes and filling my heart with the right desires.     

 

#2—Evaluate

Another good way to fill our hearts with the desires we want is by closely evaluating how we spend our time.   Many of us spend time in ways that make it difficult for us to have our hearts in the right place.  We essentially give our hearts away by participating in activities that fill our heart with things contrary to what we truly desire.  Whether it is the type of entertainment we choose, the people we decide to hang around, or the places we go, nearly all of us spend time doing things that have a negative impact on what is in our heart. Often we also tell ourselves that participating in these activities from time to time really doesn’t matter too much but we are all influenced by everything we do—so it does matter.  For this reason we must evaluate if what we are doing helps or hurts our hearts, if it contributes to what we want our hearts full of or not.  If we are serious about protecting our hearts, we must completely eliminate all of those activities that do not contribute to our success.    

#3—Help

Another way to help our hearts be in the right place at all times is by serving others.  When we can remove our own personal worries, fears, wants, and desires, by focusing on someone else’s needs, desires, and wants, our heart is strengthened.  I’m not sure why this is but I’ve found that it always works.  We live in a very self-centered, self-gratifying society that robs our hearts of this simple way to strength our heart.  By helping others we really begin to help ourselves because we fill our hearts with good, strong desires and passions.     

#4—Do

There are certain activities we know that strengthen our hearts and reinforce the desires we want to have in them.  Some examples may be spending time with our families, reading an uplifting book, participating in religious services, listening to good music, visiting a close friend, volunteering in our community, or maybe even more physically active undertakings such as hiking, running, or biking.  Whatever it might be we need to identify activities that place and build the desires we want in our heart and then do them as often as possible.  These activities may be different for each person and may change over time but knowing what activities help us to have our hearts in the right place and then doing them often will greatly help us. 

Our hearts are powerful organs that greatly determine our success and happiness in life.  If we can find ways to best fill them and control what is in them, we can then be much more successful and happier in life.  I know we all can make great strides in making sure our hearts are filled with the desires, feelings, and passions we most want.