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119. The Butterfly Effect · Impact Ready

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  Welcome to Impact Ready, a show dedicated to helping you elevate
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  your impact in the world. I'm Steph Safra, your host.
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  Let's explore the power of showing up with intention and
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  energy each day. This is for those who seek to
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  make life truly meaningful. Get ready for impact.
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  Hello team, welcome to the show. Thank you for listening today.
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  In this episode, I want to explore an idea that you
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  probably heard of before. It's something that is very
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  correlated to this idea of impact, the idea of the ripple
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  effect that we talked about a lot in this show.
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  And it is essentially the foundation for everything that
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  has to do with our personal influence and effect.
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  And the idea that I want to talk about is one that, you know,
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  it's the butterfly effect. Consequently, I also want to
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  talk a little bit about chaos theory because it also applies,
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  but thinking about how the butterfly effect and chaos
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  theory, that they both are correlated and they come from
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  mathematics and physics. And I like exploring how all of
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  these things come together in the world.
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  The concepts behind both of these theories, chaos theory and
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  the butterfly effect, they just have powerful applications when
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  we think about personal impact, which we always are in the show,
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  and even how just our small actions can have very wide
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  reaching consequences in our lives and the world around us.
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  And I say consequences not with a negative intonation, but
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  really just thinking about the effect that we might be able to
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  have and how it's so much greater than we ever perceive it
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  to be or know it to be in our life, in our world.
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  So first, even though you've probably heard of it before,
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  let's talk about what the butterfly effect is.
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  It refers to this idea, of course, that small actions or
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  changes in one place can have very large unforeseen
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  consequences somewhere else. This term was popularized by
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  Edward Lorenz in the 1960s. He's a meteorologist, and he
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  famously suggested that the flap of a butterfly's wings in
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  Brazil, for example, could in theory cause a tornado in Texas
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  because of the way that complex systems are interconnected.
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  And a complex system would be something like the weather
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  system or an economy or relationships.
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  Complex systems are things with multiple variables.
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  And when you apply this idea to personal impact, you can see how
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  it suggests that even our small everyday actions, like smiling
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  at the barista or saying hello to somebody on the street, a
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  word of encouragement, maybe just a choice to show up with
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  positive energy and attention to a meeting.
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  Or when you walk in at into your house at the end of the day, how
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  all of that can create a ripple effect that will influence
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  people in situations so far beyond what you initially
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  perceive. And for me, I love this
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  conversation because what I'm constantly trying to stress to
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  clients is your effect, the impact that you have.
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  It goes so far beyond what you initially perceive.
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  We forget. We forget that we are powerful.
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  We forget that there are ripple effects that, you know, analogy
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  of dropping a Pebble in the pond, those ripples are going
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  all the way to the shoreline, no matter how far away the
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  shoreline is. But we get bored or we get
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  distracted and we lose attention and we don't watch the ripples
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  go all the way to the shoreline. We just watched the first
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  initial ones. And that is a perfect analogy
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  for what we do in life is we just, we don't get to see how
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  far of a reach we actually have with our energy and our
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  influence. And this really encompasses that
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  it matters. For example, you could have a
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  leader who might choose to speak with immense compassion and
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  empathy during a meeting during a challenging situation, or
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  maybe a stressful time during the company.
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  And that energy with which that leader will show up can inspire
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  A-Team to handle more stress, to work more effectively and just
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  overall perform better, leading to much better outcomes.
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  Another example would be that simple act of kindness example
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  that we're often thinking about, which would maybe be a smile or
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  buying somebody a coffee without them knowing.
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  All of those little things can lead to that person then paying
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  it forward and them having a positive interaction with the
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  next person they interact with. And it will create this cycle of
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  positivity that can spread through multiple interactions,
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  sometimes hundreds of interactions.
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  One of the most real time examples that I can think of now
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  is this example of how positive videos or you know, ideas or
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  memes, whatever can spread in a viral way on social media and
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  can influence a movement. We've seen it with all kinds of
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  examples, but it's so quickly can catch fire and make a huge
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  difference in the world, even though it started out as a
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  simple act. And I again, we forget the power
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  of our energy and the way that we show up, we lose sight of how
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  much of an effect we could actually have.
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  So that's the butterfly effect. And let's talk a little bit
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  about what chaos theory is because they are interconnected.
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  Chaos theory is an idea that focuses on how systems, even
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  though they might appear random or unpredictable, these systems
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  systems can still be influenced by small changes.
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  And those small changes can amplify over time.
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  Remember we talked about how impact can be exponential over
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  time. The more time that passes, the
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  bigger the amplification of that action or behavior.
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  And so chaos theory suggests that even in complex systems,
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  like weather patterns like we talked about, or ecosystems or
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  economies or human behavior and relationships, all of these
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  things, because they're complex, they follow non linear dynamics,
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  meaning the outcomes are not always going to be predictable
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  and they are not always going to be linear.
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  Small shifts can result in dramatic outcomes.
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  And sometimes small shifts don't result in dramatic outcomes.
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  And that's the the non linear aspect of it is it's not always
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  going to equal the same outcome. But when it comes to personal
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  impact, it reminds us, chaos theory can remind us that, one,
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  we are part of a complex system because we're a human and we've
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  got families and teams and communities and these larger
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  societal structures that we take part in.
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  And so every action, every thought and behavior that we
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  have, everything that we put out in the world can influence the
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  larger system in ways that we might not immediately know or
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  see or understand. And I think that it is so
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  important that we remember that that we remember that we might
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  not immediately understand how the way that we show up is going
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  to impact the world, but I can damn well guarantee that it
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  will. We just don't know exactly how.
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  It might be small, it might be big, but we have to assume and
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  acknowledge that it will have an impact.
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  So for example, a person who. Consistently takes.
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  Care of themselves, practices self-care, keeps a positive
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  mindset, takes radical ownership of their actions.
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  You know, love that term. They will likely inspire other
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  people to do the same. They will, and ultimately that
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  can shift the collective energy of a community, a family,
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  A-Team. There's immense power in that,
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  even though the actions themselves might be somewhat
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  small or simple on a day-to-day basis.
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  Another example would be one small act of vulnerability or
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  transparency in a conversation could have the power to shift
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  the dynamic of an entire relationship, an entire dynamic
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  between a group of people. It could encourage deeper trust
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  and deeper connection. I've experienced this first hand
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  in my own friendships, in my own family relationships, where one
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  small act of vulnerability or transparency, it just allows
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  that heart energy to open for the defenses to come down and it
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  creates a completely different connection within relationships.
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  One of my best friends from college Jewels.
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  After I came out to her, I was 30 years old.
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  She's known me for for years and years.
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  I finally came out to her and she said, you know, I just felt
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  like there was always something in the way of our friendship.
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  There was something there that I couldn't get to.
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  I didn't know you completely. And now that this is out there,
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  I just, I feel a deeper connection to you and I'll never
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  forget that because it was my own self-imposed wall.
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  And the ability to be transparent and be honest and
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  vulnerable in that moment then opened up the ability to have a
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  much deeper connection and a deeper trust with this person
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  who I love so much. And so that's just one small
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  example, but I can guarantee you've probably had similar
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  situations with a spouse, with a friend, with a family member,
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  even with our kids, even with our kids.
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  We could be vulnerable and transparent and create a deeper
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  trust and connection. I've been practicing that with
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  my teenagers and trying to invest energy into those
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  relationships in the same way. It's powerful.
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  Now. I always think about how do we
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  see the butterfly effect? How do we see chaos theory
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  impacting, impacting personal impact, right?
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  How does it amplify it? What is the effect on our
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  ability to have impact in the world?
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  I think it shows up in a couple of key ways that I just want to
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  outline here because I don't want us to forget how powerful
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  we are and how even our daily simple way of showing up will
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  have a long standing exponential Fluence in the future.
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  So just a couple of ways. How does the butterfly affected
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  chaos theory apply to personal impact?
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  The first thing I think about is how small actions have big
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  impact. And I know you've given you a
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  lot of examples. I know you can think of examples
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  on your own, but every single day we have chances to make
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  small decisions. It's how we respond to
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  challenge. It's how we show up for others.
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  It's how we treat ourselves, how we talk to ourselves.
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  And sometimes these decisions can seem very minor in the
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  moment, but over time they accumulate and they can lead to
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  very transformative outcomes in our lives and in the lives of
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  others. With my coaching clients, the
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  best example I can give is the story that you tell and I teach
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  them. Be aware.
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  Observe the story that you were telling about every circumstance
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  you're in because even though it seems minor in the moment, over
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  time those stories get stronger and stronger and accumulate and
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  will influence the outcomes in your life.
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  So you better damn well be sure you tell them the story you want
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  to. Secondly, I think about the fact
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  that our energy is contagious. We are constantly broadcasting a
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  message out into the world. Our personal energy, our
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  attitude, our behavior. It creates a ripple effect in
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  every single environment we interact with.
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  I always said to my spin clients, you are responsible for
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  the energy you bring into the room.
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  Because just like a butterfly's wings and the butterfly effect,
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  the energy that we bring to a conversation, to a project, a
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  meeting, a room can have a profound influence.
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  And it will have a profound influence, often in ways that
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  you won't be able to predict. So don't you want to be on the
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  right side of that? This is where radical ownership
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  of our energy becomes so crucial because you are the only person
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  who can control the energy that you bring and the impact that
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  you have on the world around you.
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  So our energy is contagious. Another one that I think about
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  is the power of consistency, especially when it comes to
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  having powerful impact, consistency is one of the best
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  ways to do it. It's one of the ways to
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  guarantee that you'll be able to do it because the small,
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  consistent daily actions add up. Just as chaos theory will
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  emphasize power of small changes in complex systems, your
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  consistent impact, whether it's positive or negative, it will
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  shape the environment over time. Consistency in taking radical
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  ownership, maintaining your positive mindset, being
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  intentional in your actions, all of this will ultimately amplify
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  or diminish your personal influence.
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  And you've probably heard an example like this before, but if
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  a plane goes off course by just a degree, initially you might
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  not feel that change in course, but over the course of thousands
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  of miles, you will be in a completely different spot than
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  where you were supposed to be going if you were off by 1°.
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  So people think that those small consistent actions don't add up.
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  They do over time, and that's the power of time amplification.
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  And we have to think about that. We have to be consistent with
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  the way that we're showing up every day.
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  Another thing that the butterfly effect very much reminds me of
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  is that there is an unpredictability to our impact
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  by nature. It's just the way of it.
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  It reminds us that we can't always know or predict how our
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  actions are going to affect other people or what the ripple
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  effects will be. We we never can really truly
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  know. But the fact that we can't
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  always see the outcome doesn't mean that our impact is a
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  powerful. In fact, we have to assume that
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  it is. And so if we focus on showing up
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  with authenticity and integrity and intention and of course
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  consistency, you can trust that the consequences of your impact
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  will unfold in a way that's positive and not negative, even
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  if you can't see it right away, even if it feels invisible to
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  your eyes and you can't see all the way to the shoreline quite
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  yet. And then the last thing I think
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  about and, and want to really emphasize is that every person
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  has a role in our system. You know, chaos theory says that
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  everything is interconnected. And I truly believe that because
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  how many small world moments have you had in your lifetime?
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  Probably hundreds, and you'll have hundreds more.
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  There is an interconnectedness to the way that we live and our
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  actions, no matter how small they might seem, they are part
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  of a larger system. We cannot lose sight of that
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  because when we choose to be intentional with our impact, we
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  are contributing to the larger system in ways that can be
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  really profound. This is why personal
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  responsibility is so powerful and why I think it's one of the
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  more important conversations of this generation is personal
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  responsibility because we influence the system that we're
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  a part of, and we are also interconnected.
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  It's crucially important to remember this.
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  So overall, I know you probably didn't think you're going to be
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  learning about this today, the butterfly effect and chaos
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  theory. But I just want to use those
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  idea is to highlight how our small decisions, how our small
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  consistent daily actions and the changes that we make, they can
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  have very far reaching unpredictable consequences in
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  our personal lives, in the world and business and relationships
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  and all of it. And they can be incredibly
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  positive. By being aware of the impact
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  that we have, we get to tap into the power of that exponential
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  positive change. We might not ever fully see the
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  results of our actions. In fact, most people don't ever
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  get to see the full results of actions.
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  But the truth is, every choice that you made creates a ripple
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  and it will contribute to something so much larger.
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  Just look at family trees. There are generations before us
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  who never knew the ripple effects that they were going to
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  have on families and individuals and communities down the line.
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  But man, what would we be without our ancestors and the
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  generation before us? The ripple effects are
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  astounding when you think about it in that way.
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  So I just wanted to present this idea to you today because I
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  think it's very easy to get lost in our own small worlds.
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  It's easy to get caught up in fear about what's going on at
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  the world at large. It's easy to get lost in the
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  minutiae and details. It can be very easy to follow
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  the trend of society and fall into a habit of complaining or
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  venting or bitching or just being in scarcity all the time.
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  And I want to encourage us to resist that urge and to think
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  about the bigger picture and how we don't have to be the most
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  powerful person on the planet to have impact.
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  You have it now, you have it now, you are exerting it now
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  with your energy, with your choices, with your
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  communication. All of it matters.
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  And you have the ability to change people's lives.
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  So just remember that, embrace the fact whenever you're feeling
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  powerless or that you're feeling small, remember you are one of
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  those people that creates the ripples.
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  And we are so thankful that you are here in this world to share
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  your gifts and be somebody who's doing.
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  Thank you for listening to this conversation.
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  Thank you for being out in the world and making a difference
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  and having an effect on the people around you.
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  And as always, team, thank you for being ready to impact.
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  Thanks for listening to Impact Ready.
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  I hope today's episode inspired you to own your.
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  Impact and recognize. That you.
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  Are powerful. By elevating our energy and
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  awareness, we can create exponential change in this life.
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  If you enjoyed today's insights, share them with a friend and
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  subscribe. To the show for more I truly.
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  Appreciate you. Thanks again for being here.