How You Can Change the World

Have you ever contemplated the fact that by bringing about a small, yet material, change in your own life now, you can ultimately have a positive effect of some significance on the world in years to come?

The Butterfly Effect

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

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

In theory, according to this effect, a butterfly flapping its wings in one part of the world could be the catalyst for the formation of a hurricane in another part of the world.

That sounds crazy I know, but the general principle is sound and it exposes an important underlying truth that we all deserve to take note of.

The flapping of a butterfly’s wings is not what anyone would consider to be a significant action and yet the resulting effect can be hugely significant.

Relate this example to your day to day life and you may start to realise that a small action, taken today, can have big consequences in time to come.

Not all of us have it within us to be a Mandela, a Gandhi or a Mother Teresa during the course of our lifetimes. But each and every one of us does have the ability to bring about significant, meaningful change in our world just by harnessing and directing our personal gifts or talents.

The one word I used that deserves emphasis, is action.

Thought + Action = Change

Thought that is followed up with action, starts a process that brings about change.

More importantly, clear focused thought, followed by well directed action starts a process that brings about controlled or intended change.

That sounds simple enough, and it is, but the truth is that few of us have taken the trouble to master this simple process of creation.

You see, we are all thinking people. We all have hopes, desires and dreams. But few of us invest in taking the actions – even the small initial actions – required to bring those dreams to reality.

But why?

Well, either the clarity of our thought is lacking and we have, in our mind’s eye, an insufficiently developed visualisation of what it is we want to achieve, or …

The gap between where we perceive ourselves to be right now and where we would ultimately like to be, seems to us more like a yawning chasm!

What’s the point?

In either case, we reason:

“What’s the point of wasting energy on even getting started?”

The head overrules the heart, leaving us slaves to the status quo.

Learning how to visualise a desired future in ‘technicolour’, as I like to call it, is not difficult, but it is the topic for another post. Learning how to bridge the gap is what we are dealing with here.

The importance of the ‘first step’

As anyone who has ever embarked on completing a long run or hike will know, the journey always starts with the very first step. The first step is vital because it breaks the inertia and makes taking the next step easier and more natural.

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

She answered me with a question:

“Have you ever run a kilometre, Bill?”

“Yes, of course,” I responded, “But that’s pretty easy.”

“Exactly,” she smiled, “I did the same as you. I just did it over and over again, ninety times!”

Freedom, confidence and growth

New Insights was originally founded by Neil Asher back in 2003. His seemingly rather lofty aim was to bring personal freedom, confidence and growth to people around the world and from from all walks of life, through life coaching.

Fast forward, twenty years on, and there are now thousands of New Insights certified life coaches in all corners of the globe.

Of course, not every trained coach is still practising today, but if even a fraction of those coaches are still active, coaching a mere fifty clients a year each, that courageous first step Neil took has resulted in the lives of hundreds of thousands of people being touched for the better.

Makes you think, doesn’t it!

Flap your wings

Ok, so let’s cut to the chase …

What future do you dream of?

What could you achieve in the next five or ten years that would make you happy and leave the world a better place?

What small action can you take soon, that will break the inertia and kick off a process of change?

When exactly will you take that action?

If this post has inspired you to commit to action and ‘flap your wings’, then well done.

If you’re still sceptical, I invite you to think about this:

Just imagine!

Imagine that every man, woman and child of sound mind and body were to commit to take action towards achieving some personal goal that would benefit them and, directly or indirectly, benefit our world as a whole.

I think you’ll agree that the scale and effect of the resulting cumulative positive change would be truly staggering.

Yes. You can change the world … and it is a lot easier than you think!