How to Make the 12 Laws of Karma Actionable In Our Lives

Like some of you, when I used to hear the word karma I would associate it with one of two things: the saying: “karma is a b****” or the phrase ‘what goes around, comes around’. Well, it turns out there is a lot more to karma and in fact, there are 12 laws of karma including the Great Law: “As you sow, so shall you reap.” or, “What goes around, comes around”. While most of us see karma as a reward or punishment system – good things will happen to you if you do something good and bad things will happen if you do something bad – that is not the case. It’s more of a connected series of events between ever-expanding numbers of people.

If someone does something good for you, and you do not pay it forward, that does not mean you will be punished.

Instead, you can think of it as continuing good cycles or breaking bad cycles of behavior

For example, ending the cycle of verbal abuse that has gone on in a family for generations will affect hundreds and thousands of people in the future. Or doing something good for someone may, in turn, inspire them to do good for someone else.

Now, while I am not sure I agree with everything in the 12 Laws of Karma, I am very open-minded and do think there are a lot of important lessons and words of wisdom that we can take away from them. These laws, which are thought to be of ancient Hindu origin, have been created and passed down over thousands of years. Various religions make mention of these laws, even if they do not call them laws per se or call them by name. It is important to note that the Hindu’s did not create these laws, they were just the earliest to have been known to document them.

Let’s now take a quick look at each of the 12 Laws of Karma and how, in my interpretation, we can make them actionable.

(1)  The Great Law:

“As you sow, so shall you reap.”

The first of the 12 Laws of Karma states that you have complete control over all of your actions, yet no control over the consequences.  What you put out there comes back to you – in terms of love, happiness, and friendship.  And by ensuring that your thoughts are constructive, rather than destructive, you will build good karma.

Make it actionable: I do personally believe that how we treat others and how we think affects how others treat us and how our lives play out. Treating others well is going to make them want to treat us well too. And thinking positively will help us to always see the best in things and expose us to more opportunities and experiences. Because who wants to be around a negative person? Also, sometimes you cannot control what happens, but you can control how you react. By handling things with positivity and optimism you are helping build good karma.

(2)  The Law of Creation:

“You attract what you are, not what you want.”

This law is focused on taking control of your life to get what you want. This includes being good to yourself so that others will follow suit – if you are a doormat people will walk all over you.

Make it actionable: Be an active maker and shaper of your destiny by going after what you want. Focus on improving yourself instead of trying to change those around you. Also, being good to yourself means accepting compliments with grace. By not accepting compliments you are creating a negative experience for the other person, which was not their intent and will discourage them from treating you well in the future.

(3)  The Law of Humility:

“What you resist persists for you.” Or: “One must accept something to change it.”

This law is focused on acceptance, simply put, to change something, we must first acknowledge it and accept it.

Make it actionable: In order to overcome problems in our lives, we first need to accept that we have them and come to grips with them before figuring how to solve them.

(4)  The Law of Growth:

“Wherever you go, there you will be.”

Meaning that no matter where you are in life, there is one person who will always be there and who has control over your life – YOU! We create all of our surroundings, good and bad, by the choices that we make. Change and improvement come in small increments over time.

Make it actionable: By practicing self-actualization and improving yourself every single day and making the right choices, you will continue to evolve and grow into a healthier and happier person.

(5)  The Law of Responsibility:

“We must take responsibility for what is in our lives.” Or “Whenever there is something wrong, there is something wrong in us.”

This law simply states that we need to take responsibility for ourselves and our circumstances.

 Make it actionable: When something happens to you, own it, learn from it and move on, don’t dwell on it.  Try not to label things as good or bad, instead see things as results, results that you can learn from. By taking control and accepting responsibility, you are taking control of your life, which is a very powerful feeling.

(6)  The Law of Connection:

“Everything you do is somehow connected.”

This law is all about taking steps to achieve a goal and that the first step is just as important as the last step. Nothing happens overnight, each step leads to the next step. And seemingly insignificant steps are just as important as other steps. An interesting example is Steve Jobs taking a seemingly insignificant calligraphy class in his younger years and years later it became his inspiration for building beautiful typography into the Mac, as we discussed in a previous post.

Make it actionable: Take consistent action and steps every day toward your goals. Focus on the journey and not the end result.

(7)  The Law of Focus:

“You cannot think of two things at the same time.”

We cannot think of the bad side and the bright side at the same time.

Make it actionable:  Try to think on the bright side or the positive aspects of situations in life and your life will be happier. Instead of lamenting something that has gone wrong, try to find a lesson learned in it and realize that without that experience you would have never learned. Also by focusing on the negative, you are only going to bring more negative stuff into your life.

(8)  The Law of Giving and Hospitality/The Law of Abundance

 “Our behavior needs to match our thoughts and actions.”

If we believe in something, at some point in our lives we will be tested to demonstrate that truth.

Make it actionable:  This reminds me of the quote: “Do as I say, not as I do”. However, in this case, it is saying you also need to “do as you say”. Simply, if you are going to talk the talk, you need to walk the walk.  If you are against cheating, there will come a time where you have an opportunity to cheat and you need to stick to your beliefs.

(9) The Law of Be Here Now/The Law of Presence

“One cannot be present if they are looking backward – or, for that matter, forward.”

This one is all about being stuck in the past or worried about the future preventing you from living in the present and experiencing all it has to offer.

Make it actionable: Stop dwelling on the past, use its lessons to make better decisions in the present. Don’t worry about the future because it is not guaranteed – simply focus on doing your best in the present moment and enjoy today’s fleeting moments while they are here.

(10)  The Law of Change:

“The more things change, the more things stay the same.” Or: “History repeats itself until we learn from it and change our path.”

If we don’t learn from the mistakes we make, they will continue over the rest of our lives and we will stay on the same path.

Make it actionable:  Learn from your mistakes as well as the mistakes of others in order to improve your life.  Use your experiences to grow and evolve and become a better person.

(11)  The Law of Patience and Reward:

 “When you focus your life, good things happen.”

This one deals with finding joy in what you are doing and knowing that the end result will happen in its own time – success does not happen overnight!

Make it actionable:  Focus on the process, do your best every day, be persistent as hell, and the results will take care of themselves. Also, don’t get caught in the trap of comparing yourself to others as you don’t know their whole story.

 (12)  The Law of Value and Uplifting

 “What you put in, you get back.”

The last of the 12 Laws of Karma is similar to the 1^st law, but while the first law was personal, this one reflects on the whole. So, the great stuff you are contributing to society provides great energy for the world. By doing a good thing for one person, they may do something for someone else which eventually comes back to you.

Make it actionable: Lead by example! When you do good things, people notice, and it causes them to do good things which just makes everyone better!

So, that is it for the 12 Laws of Karma, and as you can see, karma is a lot more than a b****!

Until next time, keep that good karma coming and as always…PYMFP!
–Rick

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