Second & Third Order Consequences


I’m a huge fan of reading books that I think will help me or my business make more progress. One of the recent ones I have read was called Principles by Ray Dalio. Ray is the owner of an investment company called Bridgewater Associates.

Among many of the useful concepts, principles, and ideas, second- and third-order consequences really resonated with me and made me think of my clients and athletes. As Dailo states “I've come to see that people who overweigh the first-order consequences of their decisions and ignore the effects of second- and subsequent-order consequences rarely reach their goals. This is because first-order consequences often have the opposite desirabilities form second-order consequences, resulting in big mistakes in decision making.”

Considering the greater impact (i.e. second- and third-order consequences) that your decisions can have. It's often the first-order temptations, such as eating junk food or skipping a gym session, that cost us what we want. While this is easy to get in the habit of doing, it's going to be what is standing between you and what you want in the long run. No doubt, this way of thinking takes discipline. In the end, though, you'll find that it's much more rewarding.  #results