It’s safe to say that everyone, at some point or another in their life, carries with them a major problem that dominates their entire mind and body. It could be an illness; it could be too much debt; it could be severe periods of depression.

Whatever it is, this problem that they’re faced with takes total control of their life, and it’s difficult for them to see the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow in any of these situations.

They may turn to experts to try to help fix their problems; if they’re having relationship troubles, they may seek a relationship therapist, and if they are suffering from depression, they may turn to others around them for guidance and support.

Ultimately, if it seems like they’ve come out of their "slump," they’ve likely only ended up treating the symptoms of their problems, and not the causes. You see, by treating symptoms, you aren’t making permanent changes to your life. Fixing the symptoms will bring along with it temporary happiness and success, but we must change the cause of the problem if we wish to abolish it completely.

Let’s suppose you had a leaky pipe. You’d have three courses of action you could take:

1. Take no action – where the problem would just escalate more and more until it was out of control.

2. Wipe up the water every so often –where you would be fixing the symptoms of the problem but not permanently ending this unfavorable situation.

3. Fix the pipe – where you’d be fixing the true cause of your problem and permanently be ridding yourself of the troubles you were experiencing regarding it.

Most people go about treating symptoms and, subsequently, change their life on the short term. If they’re depressed, they may read an inspirational book for a quick lift; however, this does not guarantee a permanent change of their emotional state.

There is a Law of Cause and Effect. Relative to this article, the causes are the underlying reasons why the problems have emerged, and the effects are the problems. If we want to change our lives or problems to any degree with any amount of permanency, we must go about changing the cause; we cannot simply temporary amend the problem by attending to the symptoms.

Change comes from within. You have full control over your life – your problems, your triumphs, and your results – and this control is made possible by your amazing mind.

You see, the cause of many people’s problems is a result of what’s going on in their mind; often, their dominant thoughts are regarding what they don’t want. If someone’s in debt, it’s likely that they’re worrying about how they’ll make ends meet each month; on top of this, they likely have their focus on trying to get out of debt instead of becoming prosperous and wealthy. They’re playing not to lose; they aren’t playing to win.

We must change ourselves – our mind – in order to create a definite and permanent alteration to our lives. Often, it’s our thoughts and focus that must change to allow us to garner success. James Allen once said, "You cannot escape the results of your thoughts. Whatever your present environment may be, you will fall, remain or rise with your thoughts, your vision, your ideal. You will become as small as your controlling desire; as great as your dominant aspiration. "

In the end, we aren’t looking for short-term change; instead, we’re seeking long-term results. Stop thinking about what you don’t want, and start thinking about what you do want; stop treating the symptoms of your problems, and start changing the causes to achieve massive success!