Steal The “Butterfly Effect” To Propel You Towards The Life You Want

Your every thought, action, and choice matter, no matter how small it is

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Photo by Chandler Hilken on Unsplash

In December 1972, at the 139th annual meeting of the AAAS (American Association for the Advancement of Science), meteorologist Edward Lorenz posed a question:

“Does the flap of a butterfly’s wings in Brazil set off a tornado in Texas?”

Well, that’s a metaphor!

A butterfly’s wings could never trigger a tornado.

With this analogy, Edward Lorenz meant “an insignificant event like the butterfly flapping its wings, occurring at the appropriate time and place, may, in theory, trigger a chain reaction events that will result in the formation of a hurricane (significant change) somewhere else.”

This theory is called the butterfly effect.

He discovered the butterfly effect when he forecasted the weather.

He found that even an error of a decimal point change in numbers affected drastically in his forecast.

It’s a principle we can all relate to.

But it’s not just about chaos and unpredictability.

It’s also about the power of small actions to create significant changes.

Examples of Butterfly Effect From The Past

1. 1999 Elian Gonzales incident. A Cuban boy’s boat sank. He was rescued and taken to the US.

   This sparked a political uproar that may have cost Al Gore the election. A small event, a massive outcome.

2. World War II. The bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki plunged Japan into depression.

   To uplift the public, Osamu Tezuka created affordable comics. This sparked the birth of anime and manga.

3. Napoleon Bonaparte — A military leader known for his strategic prowess. But did you know his defeat at the Battle of Waterloo may have been due to… hemorrhoids?

   A delay in his attack due to pain could have changed the course of history.

From 33 years of my life, I’ve realized that small changes and micro-habits are the secret sauces to a disciplined life and success.

You don’t need to pay attention to every aspect of life.

You program yourself to do small things, and then great things occur on auto-pilot mode.

It’s like investing pennies that add up over time.

Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies. ~Mother Teresa

I am not a man of will.

If you ask me to stick to a rigorous productivity routine, I will fail. I lack the mental commitment to incorporate macro changes in life.

The overwhelm curbs my mojo and paralyzes me.

That’s why I focussed on tiny actions that compounded over time to create macro changes.

I share some of them.

1. A Non-negotiable Before Sleep

This is one of the habits I am proud of.

Every night, as I’m sinking into my sea of comforters, I hit the brakes. I stop, and I take five minutes — just five — to look back at the day’s screenplay. 

I see my day as a movie roll before my eyes.

Did everything go as scripted? Hell no. Some days, I’m a productivity ninja. On other days, I’m more like a procrastination rookie.

I write it all down — the hits, the misses, the coulda-been.

Now, why do I do this? 

It’s not just some navel-gazing exercise.

This ritual keeps me grounded, with my feet firmly planted in the cold, hard ground of reality. It stops me from pointing fingers, blaming the world for my flops.

I look at my actions and my reactions, and I ask myself — “Could I have changed the scene?”

Why, you ask? 

Cause, without this reflection, every day’s a rerun.

I’d strut around. Same old steps. Same old outcomes. No progress at all. It’s like rowing the boat without removing the anchor.

According to a study from Harvard Business Review, reflection boosts performance, productivity and learning. 

So by reflecting right before I’m off to the land of dreams, I’m programming my subconscious mind. I’m giving it a brand new script for tomorrow. 

And? When the sun rises, I’m on autopilot, playing out my improved script without even trying. 

5-minute bedtime reflection -> Improved mindfulness -> Enhanced emotional regulation -> Reduced stress -> Better sleep quality -> Increased productivity -> Positive impact on personal and professional relationships -> Greater overall life satisfaction

It all started with just five minutes of reflection. Just five.

2. Do What a Cat Loves To Do

I am not just yapping when I say we’re sitting too much these days. As a matter of fact, check this out: sedentary jobs have spiked by a shocking 83% since 1950. 

And this isn’t just me shooting the breeze, it’s hard data from research by the American Heart Association.

I’m not just some distant observer.

Nah, I’m right in the thick of it.

Got this nasty low back problem, and, it’s a real pain, literally. So, I put my foot down — no more long hours stuck in the chair.

Why, you ask? 

Well, the World Health Organization threw this whopper of a statistic at us — more than 1.71 billion folks are dealing with musculoskeletal conditions worldwide.

If that ain’t a wake-up call, I don’t know what is.

So, here’s what I do: every hour, like clockwork, I get off my seat. Stretch a little, walk around, you know, get the blood flowing. 

And it’s not just me talking from my personal experience. This is backed by the Mayo Clinic.

According to them, breaking sitting time by even one minute can improve your health profile.

I never realized the importance of one minute until I started seeing results.

My hunched back has started restoring to its original shape. This stretching is even better if you’re constantly working on screens.

Your eyes will get a chance to relax and hydrate.

Stretching every hour -> Increased blood circulation -> Enhanced cognitive function -> Improved work productivity -> Higher work satisfaction -> Better overall mental health

So, whaddaya say?

Ready to join the move and stretch club?

3. Staying Uninformed of Recent Updates

Does your phone distract you with a “ting” every two minutes?

If it does, it’s your fault. You’re letting it distract and disturb you. You’re allowing it to grab your eyeballs.

Whenever you download any app on your phone, the default notification settings are ON.

So, the best practice is to get rid of all the unwanted voice notifications from your app settings.

I am not promoting it, but Apple has a cool feature that allows you to filter notifications into personal, work, or sleep mode, so your focus is not compromised.

With this simple hack, I’ve had a deep realization that when I am at work:

-I don’t need to know what happened in my life five years ago

-why are my friends tagging me on social media, or

-which celebrity got married.

I can always check those time-sucking soulless news during breaks or while commuting if I need to.

Your future self will thank you for this little five minutes practice.

Your life will be peaceful.

You’ll have no one to dictate to you.

You’ll feel more focused and productive.

The best part is you won’t even feel the urge to get notified of useless updates.

Staying uninformed of notifications on the phone -> Less distraction -> Increased productivity -> Improved work quality -> Enhanced professional reputation -> Career advancement opportunities

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Getting organized in the normal routines of life and finishing little projects you’ve started is an important first step toward realizing larger goals. If you can’t get a handle on the small things, how will you ever get it together to focus on the big things? ~ Joyce Meyer

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Darshak Rana