#50. Atharv’s Chronicle : 31-05-2026 Fix the Cause, Change the Outcome!

Welcome to the 50th edition of Atharv’s Chronicle!

This one feels special to me. 50 episodes. I know I have missed a few along the way, but that is okay. I am not playing a short game here. Life pulls us down sometimes, and when it did, I slowed down. But I never stopped. And I never will.

Because I genuinely love doing this.

Every idea, every thought I share here is something that has first created an impact in me. Changed something in me. I strongly believe that what hasn’t worked for me cannot work through me. So I will never preach/discuss/share something just because it sounds good. Only what has truly moved the needle in my own life makes it to the newsletter.

And this one, today’s topic, is something I have been living unconsciously for years now. It is so deep rooted in me that I don’t even think about it anymore. I just do it.

But recently, in a satsang with my mentor Mahatria, he put it into words so clearly that I had to share it here.

“Life is governed by cause and effect. There is a science to life.”

Not motivation. Not luck. Science.

And once we really understand this, everything starts to look different.

We Are All Fixing the Wrong Thing

Think about it.

We are tired all the time, so we drink more coffee.

We are always broke, so we work more hours.

Our relationships feel distant, so we plan a trip.

We feel anxious, so we scroll Instagram.

We keep treating the symptoms. We never touch the root.

And the problem keeps coming back.

Because we are only managing the effect. We are not touching the cause.

Let us see one example to understand that Life Is a Science

If you mix hydrogen and oxygen in the right proportion, you get water. Every single time.

It doesn’t care who you are. What your background is. How badly you need it.

The cause produces the effect. Always.

Our body right now? Effect.

Our relationships? Effect.

Our bank balance, our peace of mind, our energy levels, all effects.

And behind every single one of them is a cause.

A habit. A behaviour. A choice we made, or didn’t make depending where we are living, our environment and other factors.

The Question That Changes Everything

Most of us, when something goes wrong, ask:

“Who did this to me?”

The smarter question, the one that actually changes things, is:

“What in me is causing this to keep happening?”

Not who. What.

Because here is the uncomfortable truth.

We keep meeting the same kind of people wherever we go. We keep having the same arguments at work. We keep missing our scheduled meetings. We keep showing up late. We keep reaching for junk food even when we promised ourselves we wouldn’t.

And every single time, we say it is the situation. It is the people. It is just how things are.

But the common factor in all of these is us.

The same patterns keep repeating because the same causes are still in place.

We haven’t changed what we do before sleeping, so we wake up late. We haven’t changed how we plan our day, so we keep missing meetings. We haven’t changed what we stock at home, so we keep eating junk.

The cause hasn’t changed. So the effect won’t either

Three Things We Can Do

Once we understand this, we have three simple moves.

1. Drop the cause, Drop the effect

There is something disturbing us that we don’t want in our life? Find the trigger. Remove it.

Here is something from my own life. I have a massive sweet tooth. After every meal, I need something sweet.

For the longest time, I used to buy sweets, candies, bakery items all the time. And since they were always around, I always ended up eating them. Then I would complain about not eating healthy.

The problem was never willpower. The problem was availability.

So I changed the cause.

I stopped bringing junk home. Now whenever I go out, I pick up fruits or dry fruits instead. I always keep protein bars stocked. There are homemade dry fruit laddus ready at home for whenever the craving hits.

So now when that sweet craving comes after food, I look around and the only options I have are good ones.

I did not fight the craving. I just changed what the craving had access to.

Cut the cause. The effect changes on its own.

2. Add the cause, add the effect

Want something we don’t currently have in our lives?

Ask: what cause would produce this effect?

Want to feel fit? What cause creates fitness?

Want deeper friendships? What cause creates depth?

Want mornings that feel good? What cause creates that?

Then go do that cause. Consistently.

3. Never deny the cause and expect the effect

This one is the hardest. Because we all do it.

We want the fit body, but we justify why we cannot exercise.

We want the promotion, but we justify why we cannot put in the extra work.

We want peace in a relationship, but we keep avoiding the difficult conversation.

Mahatria said it simply:

“Deny yourself the cause. You deny yourself the effect.”

No negotiation. No shortcuts. Life doesn’t do deals.

Something to Try This Week

Pick one effect in your life that keeps bothering you.

Find the cause. Change the cause.

That is it.

Not motivation. Not luck. Not waiting for things to get better on their own.

Just science.

See you in the next one!

Atharv Prasanna