You’ve heard of the Butterfly Effect, right? We toss this phrase around casually, but did you know it’s an actual scientific theory?
The Butterfly Effect, otherwise known as the law of sensitive dependence on initial conditions, comes from chaos theory, and basically states that each action and event, no matter how small, is part of a complex web that affects other events.
It’s like the domino effect. Every action, every thought, every occurrence is a drop in a bucket that contributes to something larger.
(This is why national parks tell you to take only pictures and leave only footprints: if everyone picked a flower, there’d be no flowers left. Small actions add up!)
You’ve certainly experienced this when one simple, seemingly insignificant decision led to an event that changed the course of your life. Maybe the decision to take that geography class led you to meet your spouse, or maybe the casual conversation with the person next to you in the grocery line forged a connection that would lead to a new job, and a completely different career trajectory.
In his talk, Andy Andrews tells the story of Norman Borlaug, who developed a strain of hardy, high-yield wheat that led to greater food production around the world and was calculated to have saved about 2 billion people from famine.
But, Andrews argues, was it really Borlaug who saved the 2 billion people, or is this the result of the Butterfly Effect?
Main takeaways:
- Every action matters.
- Every event has a cause and an effect, and that effect cascades into MORE effects that never end.
- We don’t know what the ripple effects of our actions will be.
- A tiny, seemingly insignificant action can have a massive impact.
This begs the question, how can we have a positive impact on the world?
How to Have a Positive Impact
The tricky thing is, we can’t see the future. We can’t see how the little flaps of our wings will impact people down the road, so what do we do?
Does this make your palms sweat a little? That’s okay.
This concept can feel scary or overwhelming. You might feel like they have to walk on eggshells to prevent making a negative impact. The trouble is, we’re ALL going to have both positive and negative effects, no matter what we do.
But pronoia—the idea that the universe is conspiring for our good—can really help here. Even if you have an initial “negative” effect, trust that things will work out for the highest good. (That’s why we use the quotes around “negative”: you really can’t know the long term effects, even if things don’t immediately go as you planned.)
No matter how lightly we tread, we will always have some impact just by existing.
We can try our best to have a positive effect, but ultimately, it’s out of our control.
This is when a little something called the Circle of Influence can be helpful.
Circle of Influence Vs Circle of Concern
This is an idea from Stephen Covey’s work. It looks like this:
The idea is that we have a circle of influence and a circle of concern. The circle of influence contains what we can actually control, like our thoughts, behaviors, and habits.
The circle of concern is things we care about. This circle contains our circle of influence, but also things we have zero control over.
It’s far more productive and helpful to focus on our circle of influence.
Ironically, our circle of influence actually expands as we focus on it. Those in Andrews’ talk focused on what they could control—botanical research, taking care of their child, saving that baby boy—and because of that, their circle of influence expanded to eventually include preserving the lives of billions of people.
When it comes to having a positive impact on the world, start here, with what you can control. You can’t control the ripple effects, but you can control what you think and do.
Start taking action within your circle of influence, and watch the positive impacts ripple outward.
Focus on discovering your unique contribution.
This is something we talk about a lot at Redmond. We believe everyone has something to give to the world, something that the world needs, that the person is wired for, and that fills their cup.
We all have strengths. We all have something unique to do in the world that only we can do.
By taking the journey to find that thing, that’s how we’re most helpful. That’s how we can have the most positive impact.
The people Andy Andrews mentioned in his speech followed this path. They helped, they studied, they followed their interests, and the effects were massive.
So, how can you get started?
Learn about your 3 Circles. Start paying attention to where you’re the most helpful, what you’re wired for, and what fills your cup. Additionally, pay attention to where these three things intersect, because THAT is where your unique contribution lies!
Take the strengths seminar at Redmond, if you haven’t yet. You’ll learn more about your personality, innate strengths, and how to pay closer attention to these things so you can continue your journey of self-discovery. To sign up, talk to your team lead and/or a culture team member, and make sure to clear it with your team to make sure your work will be covered while you’re attending.
Pay attention to what you pay attention to, and reflect on it regularly. This is a great habit to develop that will compound your growth in your journey of self-discovery.
(This article has more great ideas for preparing for a future you can’t see.)
Work on your weaknesses that negatively impact your ability to collaborate.
Most of the time, we want to focus more on our strengths than our weaknesses because we have more potential in our areas of strength.
But some weaknesses hold us back, namely the weaknesses that affect how we interact and collaborate with others.
For example, if you have a hard time sharing your perspective (or letting others share theirs).
Here are more tips on how to be a great team player.
Develop our core values
If you take nothing else from this article, we hope it’s this: develop our core values, because everything else is covered there.
Passion for Contribution will guide you to be helpful and discover your unique contribution.
Occhiolism will help you seek out and listen to other perspectives, which is crucial for collaboration and growth.
Ubuntu will help you get to know yourself (and how you can help) as well as others, and seeing others is one of the most powerful ways to have an impact. The biggest positive impact you can have on others is to help them feel seen, understood, and valued! (A great resource for this is How to Know a Person: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen by David Brooks.)
“People won’t remember what you said, but how you made them feel.” - Maya Angelou
Reflection helps you learn from what you’ve experienced so you can move forward with more understanding. So think: How did you get to where you are today? What experiences and interactions have shaped you? What can you learn from that?
And Renewal makes all of this sustainable, so you can keep going and make a positive impact for longer.
Do your best and enjoy what is.
Don’t be paranoid, but do your best to live according to your values, see people, and make your unique contribution to the world.
The people in Andrews’ talk probably had no inkling of the impact they’d have or how their actions would ripple outward, across the world and across generations.
When you can’t control the results of your actions, the best thing you can do is your best. Know that your actions matter, and also that they’re a small piece that adds up to a whole.
One act can change the course of someone’s life, which can in turn change the world!
