Thinking ahead often seems to be a lost art. Many people are so caught up in instant gratification that they never stop to think about the long-term effects of some of their actions. They also don't see the connections between today's actions and tomorrow's results--and this causes an awful lot of pain and frustration in life. Whatever I do today, I should be aware of the possible effects--negative and positive--that can show up in the future, near or far. Of course, we can't let the fear of what might happen in the future keep us from acting today. But we can make our lives much easier if we just remember the law of cause and effect, and realize that some of what we do today will be the cause of effects that won't show up until later.