The Butterfly Effect

by Mary A Drobnak RN, BSN

You don’t need to make big changes in your life to see significant results! Part of the Chaos Theory, this assertion is appropriately named the Butterfly Effect. Its premise: the tiny flap of butterfly wings can have large-scale effects down the line, altering the course of nature. Whether you buy into this theory wholeheartedly or just think it has limited applications, nearly everyone can look back on their lives and think, "If only...". Small things matter and a simple tweak here and there can have a huge effect if not completely alter one’s life.

With another year nipping at our heels, it is the time we often ‘look back’ and reflect on what we did with our lives this past year. Did we make any positive changes? Making small positive changes in our lives will by default create a positive impact on the whole. It's a symbiotic relationship. A big mistake we make is thinking we need someone outside ourselves to make our lives better. Other people of course can motivate and guide us through their own inspiring lessons and experiences. But ultimately, the only person that can make the positive changes in your life is you.

The butterfly effect, by definition is, “small variations in the initial conditions of a dynamic system in which produce large variations in the long term behavior of that system over time”. Our lives, bodies and minds are dynamic systems! Every variation we make (positive or negative) will have a long term effect. Pick just one thing you can think of that if you began doing today would have the potential to create positive change in your life. Ok so you have been meaning to save money and begin today by putting away just RMB 50 a day. In a week you save RMB 350, one month RMB 1500, one year RMB 18,000. That’s a nice start, keep it up!

And let’s say you choose to save by consciously cutting out one thing you do that is unnecessary or fattening. Cut out your daily mochaccino at 300+ calories, and you not only saved the money, but you decrease your unnecessary calorie intake by 2100 calories a week, or 9,000 calories a month. By year’s end that 108,000 saved calories is a 5 pound weight loss! What’s that you say? Your clothes are fitting better, you lost a little weight and you have RMB 3000 to show for it? Small variation, long term effects, positive impact.

Every day we can use the butterfly effect to our advantage. By making small changes in one area of our lives today we will change that area dramatically in the long term, and over time it will change our entire life and may also have an impact on many other people’s lives as well. I challenge everyone this month to ‘look back’ on the past year before it’s over to examine what changes you have made that have had a positive effect on your lives. I further challenge everyone to pick one goal that you set and didn’t follow through on and start today. It’s never too late and the year is not over yet! In January when you ‘look back’ on 2011 you may find you are already able to see the butterfly effect your positive change made in your life too!

Send Nurse Mary your health questions and concerns at [email protected]