& Personal Development
In 2004 a fabulous film was released titled "The Butterfly
Effect", starring Ashton Kutcher and Amy Smart. The film
centres around several characters whose lives are
incredibly affected because one man can travel back in
time. At time during his college years the main character
discovers that he has the ability to travel back in time
just by reading his diary entries.
During his first journey back in time he makes extremely
small changes to his behaviour. He does things differently
than he had done originally but he only makes small
changes. To his astonishment he sees that everything has
changed when he returns to the present. Small changes made
in the past have a huge impact on events, people and
outcomes in his present. He decides that he can change
things for the better and continues to make these trips
back in time so that he can make different decisions and
perform different actions. As he makes these changes to his
past he finds that the present he returns to has changed
radically for him and everyone else who is connected with
him and the other people involved!
Now this fantastic film is not just entertaining it is, in
fact, enlightening. It immediately started me thinking
about several personal development issues and who it can be
used successfully in our lives. But before we go into these
let's take a closer look at the buttery fly effect to see
what it is.
The butterfly effect was discovered in the early 1960's by
Edward Lorenz, an American mathematician and meteorologist.
Its official and technical name is "sensitive dependence on
initial conditions". His theory states that even the
smallest variations in conditions of any dynamic system
will produce large variations in the long term behaviour of
that system over time. It is simpler to explain this theory
if we look at the popular name given to it now – the
butterfly effect – its name sums up the entire theory. That
is, if a butterfly flaps its wings in London it can have
such a profound knock-on affect on wind conditions that it
can result in a tornado in New York!
Let's look again at Lorenz's description of his theory. He
says, "Small variations in the initial conditions of a
dynamic system produce large variations in the long term
behaviour of that system over time". So what does that mean
to you?
Well your life, body, mind and relationships are all
dynamic systems! Even how each relates to the other is a
dynamic system. Therefore, a small variation in any of
these dynamics systems made now can result in large
variations over time.
By making even the smallest changes in one area of your
life today you will change that area dramatically in the
long term and over time these new variations will have a
knock-on affect in other areas. In time they will change
your entire life. As your add variations to your behaviour
they will change your life and then these changes will also
have an impact on many other people's lives as well. The
changes in their lives will affect others and so on. Making
changes in your own life can literally change the world
through the butterfly effect!
Here is an example of the butterfly effect in action: You
decide to set a personal development goal that you are
going to stop smoking today. Now the benefits of doing this
are obvious. You will probably live much longer, you will
definitely feel healthier and you will be able to enjoy
more physical activities.
However, what effect do you think stopping smoking may have
on your children? We all know that children tend to follow
the same patterns as their parents. Do you smoke around
your partner or work colleagues? Think of how many lives
you may touch during those extra years you will live on
this planet. How many new goals will you reach due to your
new energy?
What do you think will happen when you reach this personal
development goal? Might it spur you on to set others? Will
you gain confidence in yourself and your ability to set and
reach other more challenging goals? What way would your
life be affected by setting and reaching such a goal?
We have all heard stories about people being the right
place at the right time. They turn a corner and meet
someone who they eventually marry, or who helps them become
a multimillionaire. The famous Sheffield band, from
England, Def Leopard, hitched a ride on a road and found
that the driver was a record producer. They happened to be
carrying a demo tape of their music and the rest is
history. This is the butterfly effect in action! A small
chance occurrence changed the personal history of this band
and affected the world!
You can create a butterfly effect in your own life
deliberately and consciously. You have no idea and could
never objectively determine how far the effects of the
smallest action reverberate. Start in your own personal
development and self improvement by taking small easy to
manage steps in the direction of your dreams – no matter
how small they may seem. This is a great reason to have
goals or some kind of personal development plan. Set a plan
that includes small stepping-stone goals. You will find
that even if you don't reach your ultimate goal, in the
time-frame you set for yourself, you will make tremendous
changes in your life and, due to the butterfly effect, in
the long term your whole world will be transformed just by
making small changes.
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