Systems: How They Effect You, Your Business, and Your Life

Now that we’ve discussed goals, it’s time we talked about systems. Millionaires generally understand how important systems are. A system is nothing more than a group of parts or components that are all aligned toward one common goal, function or purpose.

Every part of a system is connected and impacts the other parts. The components of a system naturally seek harmony and balance with one another, as long as each component is still aligned towards the system’s goal. Due to the fact that all of these components are interconnected and naturally balancing, each component has the ability to impact the whole. Every component can have a direct and noticeable effect on the entire system on one level or another. Consider the highways in your own city or town. They make up part of a system. If there is trouble on one particular freeway, the effects often spill out onto nearby freeways and surface roads: one component affecting another.

These days everyone understands, or should understand the environmental problems we are currently facing. This is a perfect example of individual components affecting the entire system. A great source of information on the effects we have on our planetary system is Al Gore’s documentary “An Inconvenient Truth.” Anyone who hasn’t seen this film should set aside time and rent it as soon as possible. The planet we live on is a system, all of its components working together and impacting one another, either on a large or small scale.

Everything is part of a system. Every system is actually part of a larger system. We are surrounded by them, and therefore must appreciate the profound level of impact that they have on our lives. Your body is a system, from your mind, to your heart, to your arms, legs and ears; and because all of these components are all interconnected, something as simple as a poor diet can lead to massive problems in virtually every other component of your system. Each component has the ability to affect the whole.

Consider the side effects that commonly come with medications: impacting one component of your bodily system ultimately affects other components as well. A more personal example of the human body system being impacted by individual components is comes from Lynne’s own personal experience.

Several years back, Lynne was suffering from terrible heartburn, so much so that one night she was having trouble sleeping, and at 3 A.M. decided she needed to go to the emergency room. In the hours that followed, it was determined that she had Gastro-Esophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) and was prescribed a medication to counter the reflux. For the next two years she took a pill for her reflux every day. The reflux dissipated, only to be replaced by severe abdominal pain. One component of her system was affecting the rest of her system dramatically: to the point where she couldn’t even eat without experiencing intense discomfort.

After two years of anxiety and pain she took the step to visit a naturopathic doctor. For anyone who isn’t familiar with naturopathy, it is a branch of medicine that focuses on the source of the problem rather than treating the symptoms (for example, find the cause of the reflux, rather than suppressing it with a pill.) This doctor tested Lynne for food intolerances, and quickly discovered her body, her system, did not react well to soy products.

Since this breakthrough, Lynne has cut soy out of her diet (it is in a lot more things than you think, just start looking at ingredient labels) and is no longer on any prescriptions. Once Lynne understood what was happening to one part of her body, she was able to impact her body (her system) as a whole.

These examples give a very clear picture of the dramatic effect the parts and components of a system can have on one another. Millionaires understand the principles that govern systems, and how important it is not to underestimate one compenent can have on the others. In a few days, we’ll talk about the largest system of all, how it affects you, and how you actually affect it.