Becoming Your Own Cause

Let me tell you about two people facing the same temptation.

The first is offered a cigarette and says, “No thanks”, I’m trying to quit.” Sound reasonable, right ? But hidden in that response is a profound truth : This person still believes they’re a smoker. They’re hoping their behavior will change while carrying the same identity.

The second person declines with : “No, thanks, I’m not a smoker.” A small linguistic difference, but a massive identity shift.

Most of us spend our lives as the first person. We try to change what we do without changing who we believe we are. And then we wonder why change never sticks. But if i told you there’s a deeper layer ?

Steelmind :

The Myth of External Causality

We’re taught to see ourselves as effect, not causes. As respondents, not initiators. Look at the language we use :

• “My childhood made me this way”

• “The economy forced me to take this job”

• “My boss made me angry”

• “My genetic determine my health”

In each case, we position ourselves as the consequence of external force. We’re the billiard ball being struck, not the cue setting things in motion. This isn’t just semantic. However, it’s a fundamental misreading of reality that Nietzsche identified over a century ago. He observed that most people live as “human, all to human”, reacting to life rather than creating it.

We prefer being effects, it’s easier. Safer. When things go wrong, we have someone or something to blame. When we’re unhappy, we can point to circumstances beyond our control. But this comfort comes at devastating cost : we surrender our creative power. We become passengers in our own lives, wondering why the scenery never changes.

So, what does it mean to become your own cause ?

It mean shifting from being the painted to the painter. From the performance to the director. From the effect to the first cause.

Let me introduce you to three people :

The Victim (Total Effect)

Sarah believes her life is something that happens to her. When she’s passed over for promotion, it’s because her boss doesn’t like her. When her relationship fails, it’s because all men are commitment-phobic. She living proof that external forces control her destiny.

The Manager (Partial Cause)

John takes more responsibility. He sets goals, follows processes, and works hard. But he still operating within a framework created by others. He optimizing a system he didn’t design. When the system changes, he’s disoriented. He’s the first person from our smoking example, trying to quit while still identifying as a smoker.

The Creator (First Cause)

Jason operates differently. He doesn’t just play the game, he designs the game. When circumstances change, he doesn’t just adapt, he’s creates new circumstances. He’s the second person from our smoking example. He doesn’t struggle with quitting because she no longer identifies as someone who smokes.

The Creator understands what Nietzsche meant by the “uncreated creator” the being who serves as their own origin story. Not in the arrogant sense of being God, but in the practical sense of taking radical responsibility for their existence.

This isn’t about denying reality, however, it’s about recognizing that between stimulus and response, there’s a space, an in that space lies our power to choose our response. Our power to be the cause rather than the effect.

Technique :

Linguistic Reprogramming

Your language creates your reality. Start eliminating victim vocabulary from your dictionary.

Instead of : “I have to” → “I choose to”

Instead of : “I can't” → “I won’t”

Instead of : “You made me feel” → “I feel”

Instead of : “I should” → “I will”

This week, catch yourself using effect-language and consciously rephrase it as cause-language. It will feel awkward at first, but after 11 days, you’ll notice your thinking begining to shift.

The technique application this week is simple but radical. In one area where you’ve been the effect, choose to be the cause. Where you've been responding, choose to initiate. Where you've been following, choose to lead, even if it's just leading yourself.

Remember : The quality of your life isn’t determined by what happens to you, but by what you cause to happen. The world doesn't happen to you, you happen to the world

Stay Hard,

[ Zufar Algifary ]

Founder The 11% Newsletter