I’m about to expose you to a powerful new way of operating in life and business.

To truly understand the power of this principle you need to fully accept the fact that your own decisions are the primary driver of your life.

So look at all the good things in your life and be proud that all of them came as a result of your decisions.

This can be a tough pill to swallow for some because for this to be true, it means that most of the “bad” or negative things in your life are also a result of your decisions.

One of my favorite Tony Robbins quotes is, "It is in your moment of decision that your destiny is shaped"

As an entrepreneur in the home business industry for the past 12 years, I’ve seen first hand how the compounded decisions for some have lead to radical life altering results (people going from very broke to very rich very quickly), while the compounded decisions for others lead to frustration and a very mediocre existence in life and business.

Given the fact that decisions are so powerful for shaping our lives, you would think that more people would examine and consider HOW they make decisions, especially in the most important areas of life. Their internal systems (or lack thereof) for decision making.

Here's a NEW system for making quality decisions and designing a bright new future for yourself.

Order of Consequences

The first order of consequence is the reaction that happens immediately after the behavior.

So if I do 50 pushups today...

The first order of consequence is that it will strain my muscles and I will experience pain. My arms may even be sore when I wake up tomorrow.

So the first order of consequence of doing 50 pushups is PAIN

The second order of consequence is always opposite of the first

So the second order of consequence is GAIN.

What do I gain by doing 50 pushups?

Stronger chest and upper body and a stronger core.

I also build my discipline muscles so it positively affects disciplines in other areas of my life. 

If I did the pushups when I wasn’t necessarily feeling like doing them it is a victory over my weaker lazier self.

So let's lump all of those things into the second order of confidence and let's just call it "muscle building"

So whats the 3rd order of consequence?

You could argue that the 3rd order of consequence is… Greater Confidence!

Because there is no way I can gain more physical strength, develop empowering new disciplines and defeat my weaker, lazier self without also gaining confidence.

Confidence that can spill out into other areas of my life including my relationships, my business/career, my finances etc.

You wouldn’t think that doing some pushups could improve your relationships or your finances would you?

UNLESS you were looking at multiple orders of consequences rather than just the first.

Here’s the unfortunate reality for most...

90% of people make ALL their decisions based on the FIRST level of consequence ALONE.

If the first level of consequence is good, they do it.

If the first level of consequence is bad they don’t do it.

Ice cream = pleasure - lets do it!

Developing new skills in my business = pain - lets not do it!

To see how devastating this way of operating is, just look around.

Most people are broke, out of shape and living lives of quit desperation.

Here’s why...

The first order of consequence is a LIER!

It deceives us into chasing short-lived pleasures while sacrificing our long-term happiness and fulfillment.

It also deceives us into avoiding short-term pain while remaining blind to the long term gains. The massive gains that we would experience by embracing things that suck in the short-term.  Think exercising, dietary discipline or developing new skills in the beginning stages of building a brand new business.

Do you see how looking beyond the first order of consequence is key to doing things like becoming healthier, getting into better physical shape, building successful businesses, or improving your financial situation?

I’m going to close this with a story from my life.

Almost 2 years ago I was over $100K in debt due to poor financial decision making over the course of several years prior.

I had the opportunity to invest into a mentoring program to help me grow a new business that I had recently started

The cost of the 8 week coaching program was $9,800

I had maybe $1,500 in my bank account at the time.

But I knew the program was going to help me take my business and life to the next level so I applied for a new credit card with a 15K limit and immediately put the 10K investment on the new card.

What I created out of that program was a business that has done over $800,000 in sales over the last 20'ish months.

Which has lead to a strong, healthy business that is a continuoes source of cash-flow for myself and my team.

Had I operated the way most people do…

Only looking at the first order of consequence… Being out 10K, more debt, etc.

I would have never taken that leap into the unknown...

...A leap which proved to be a major turning point in my career and laid a new foundation for a very lucrative business that continues to bless my life and those around me.

So identify one area of your life that you are struggling with right now…

And ask yourself, when I make decisions that affect this area of my life, am I considering the 2nd, 3rd, 4th order of consequence or just the first?

Feel free to share below with a specific examples or if you have found this content to be eye opening or beneficial for you in some way