By Melanie Valderrama

The Law of Cause and Effect teaches that every cause has an effect, and every effect has a cause. Nothing happens by accident. One of the most amazing aspects of this law is that once you start moving toward your goal—your goal starts moving toward you, too. You don’t have to go the whole distance. You just have to meet it halfway.

A few years ago, my husband, two kids, and I were living in my parents’ basement. My parents were out of the country at the time, but they were due to return in four months. We were determined to have our own place before they came home. The problem? We had no extra income—not nearly enough to cover a mortgage.

That’s when I came across a book that caught my attention:
“The Jackrabbit Factor: Why You Can” by Leslie Householder.

The story sounded eerily familiar, almost like my own. I was drawn to find out what the wife in the book needed to learn, because I was tired of feeling stuck. I was tired of feeling like a victim. I ordered the book and devoured it the same day it arrived.

There was one quote that jumped out and stayed with me:
“When I have a choice, I choose to believe.”

Could it really be that simple?

I decided to test it.

At the time, my husband had been interviewing for a higher position at work—three times—but kept getting passed over. Honestly, I had stopped believing it would ever happen. Whenever he mentioned a new interview, I would silently think, “Well, the other person is going to love that job.” But this time, I caught myself. I committed to flipping that narrative. For an entire week, I repeated to myself:
“When I have a choice, I choose to believe.”

The following week, my husband came home with unexpected news:
He had gotten the promotion—and this time, he didn’t even need to interview for it. The raise nearly doubled his income.

Soon after, I was out driving and noticed a “For Sale” sign on a beautiful home that spoke to me. Normally, I wouldn’t have even taken a flyer—because deep down, I didn’t believe we’d ever own a home. But this time was different. I felt nudged to call and schedule a tour.

We saw the house the next day and loved everything about it—the design, the location, the feel. But when we sat down to figure out the financing, reality hit: it was way out of our price range. We learned we only qualified for a condo. At first, I was discouraged. But then I realized—a condo is still a step forward. And it would be better than living in the basement.

We started looking and found a brand-new condo in a growing area at an incredible price. Every day, I would visualize myself pulling into the driveway, walking in, placing our furniture, cooking in my own kitchen, feeling the warmth of sunlight through our windows. I felt what it would be like to have a place of our own.

And guess what?

We closed on that condo and moved in the weekend before my parents came home.

Looking back, I see it so clearly: the moment I stopped acting like a victim and started taking even small steps of belief, the path started unfolding before me. The goal moved toward me as I moved toward it. And buying our first home? It turned out to be so much less scary than I had made it out to be.

So, how soon will you see results?
It all depends on how you feel about what you’re asking for.

Get excited.
Believe in your choice.
Try it and see for yourself just how much power is packed in one simple statement:

“When I have a choice, I choose to believe.”

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• To discover how to start choosing more effectively now, read The Jackrabbit Factor (FREE!)  
• If you want more step-by-step guidance on creating the life you really want, join me in the Mindset Mastery program.
• If you want my help overcoming that giant obstacle right in front of you, learn more and sign up for Genius Bootcamp.