Thoughts lead on to action; actions form habits; habits create character; and character creates our destiny. – Debra Moffitt

We often think that moving into a new year will automatically change our fate. But actions from the past will follow us. This is the law of action or cause and effect. It’s like a credit card account. If we make charges to our card, the bill will eventually come due. It’s the same in life.  Everything we do will have an effect on our future. We can begin to change it by changing the thoughts we think; the words we speak and the deeds we do.

Karma simply means the effects of our actions. When we eat a little too much today, tomorrow, and again the next day, the result is a need to buy new pants to accommodate that expanding waist line. Like overeating, the consequences or results of karma are not immediate. It takes months or even years (and some would say lifetimes) for some actions to bear fruits. Though it’s often associated with negativity, karma can be good and bring good results too. Anyone raising a child knows that each day of loving care results in a healthy adult. Writers putting pen to paper know that long-term, the many words together can result in a book.

Our lives are created through each moment. The decisions we make, either conscious or not, create our future. If we follow human values and focus on uplifting thoughts, words and actions, we can create a beautiful and meaningful life. This is guided by a deep spiritual connection to the Divine.

If we choose the path of ego instead, then we will harvest the results of ego. We see it clearly in the lives of criminals. A small decision to lie may dull the conscience which warns when actions bear bad karma. The conscience wears away and the inner mechanism that keeps him or her from doing acts that harm himself and others no longer functions. He may move onto cheating, theft and even murder.

By listening to that inner voice of wisdom that elevates us to take the harder path and do the right thing at the right time, we naturally know what direction to take. Take a moment to contemplate where you are and the thoughts, decisions and actions that have brought you here. Consider, too, where you’d like to be in a year or ten years. If you’re searching for peace, love and compassion, begin by extending the same to others today. Every action counts.

Bio: Debra Moffitt is author of Awake in the World: 108 Practices to Live a Divinely Inspired Life. A visionary and teacher, she’s devoted to nurturing the spiritual in everyday life. She leads workshops on spiritual practices at the Sophia Institute and other venues in the U.S. and Europe. Her mind/body/spirit articles, essays and stories appear in publications around the globe and were broadcast b