You can change the world

Ten to one the title of this week’s post has left you a little bemused.

After all, most of us just want to bring about a little change in ourselves, before we step up to more heady challenges, not so?

But have you considered that, by bringing about a small yet material change in your own life now, you can ultimately have a significantly positive effect on the world in the years ahead!

[box type=\”shadow\”]“You can\’t make footprints in the sands of time by sitting on your butt. And who wants to leave buttprints in the sands of time?”

― Bob Moawad[/box]

The \’butterfly effect\’

Perhaps you’ve heard of a phenomenon called ‘the butterfly effect’?

The idea is that, in any dynamic system, a small change in the initial conditions can have a dramatic effect on the end state or outcome.

In theory, therefore, the formation of a hurricane in one part of the world could be dependent on whether or not a butterfly, in another part of the world, had flapped its wings!

I know, this is an extreme example, but there is an underlying truth to this that we can all take on board.

Each one of us has the capability

It’s true, of course, that not everyone has it in them to be a Mandela, Gandhi, or Mother Teresa during the course of their lives. Not everyone has it in them to bring about rapid and far reaching changes to this planet on their own.

However, it’s equally true that every one of us has the capability, no matter how hidden it may seem right now, to be a catalyst to bring about substantial, meaningful change in our world in a few years.

All that’s necessary is a little ‘flapping of the wings’ to make it happen.

Thoughts + Action = Change

By ‘flapping of the wings’ read taking of action.

You see, we all have thoughts, hopes, desires and dreams. But too few of us are prepared to take the actions – even the initial actions – required to bring them to reality.

That’s usually because the gap between where we are now and where we would like to be just seems more like a yawning chasm. So we reason: “What’s the point of even starting?”

The importance of that ‘first step’

But, as anyone who has ever embarked on completing a long hike will know, the journey always starts with the very first step.

I once asked a friend, who finished the gruelling 90km Comrades Ultra Marathon, how he managed to complete what seemed to me to be a truly daunting feat.

He said “Have you ever run a kilometre, Bill?” I said “Yes, of course. That’s easy.” “Well, exactly,” he replied, “I just ran one of those over and over again, ninety times.”

Freedom, confidence and growth

New Insights was started by Neil Asher back in 2003 with the aim of bringing personal freedom, confidence and growth to people from all walks of life through the efforts of the coaches that would be trained in the system.

Ten years on and there are now many hundreds, perhaps thousands, of New Insights certified coaches across the UK, southern Africa and the world.

Sure, not every trained coach is still likely to be practising today but let’s be very conservative and say, that on average over the past ten years, there have been two hundred active life coaches trained by New Insights.

Imagine, again very conservatively, that each one has touched the lives of just fifty people per year through their coaching.

100.000 beneficiaries

Do the maths and you\’ll see that more than 100,000 people are likely to have benefited as a result of that courageous first small step, ten years ago, that Neil took to begin to turn his vision into reality.

Now, think about this …

If every man, woman and child of sound mind and body were to consciously agree to fulfill one realistic, short to medium term objective relating to the positive improvement of life on this earth … wouldn’t the cumulative change be absolutely staggering?

My challenge to you

With that in mind, and as we set out at beginning of a brand new year, here\’s my challenge to you:

• What is it you want to achieve in the next five or ten years?
• What could you achieve in the next five or ten years?
• What small action do you need to take this year to start things in motion?
• When will you take that action?

Go on, just do it.

Our world needs you to!