The Butterfly Effect and How it Applies to YOUR Life

While walking around White Rock Lake ingesting the natural beauty, it’s easy to become both intellectually stimulated and introspective at the same time. This time of year, the lake is flooded with magnificent butterflies going about their business, making a huge contribution to the well-being of mankind.

 Variegated Fritillary Butterfly visiting a Firewheel
Winfrey Point, White Rock Lake, Dallas

While bending down to examine some wildflowers, a butterfly flew by, its wing touching my cheek as it did so. This got me thinking about “The Butterfly Effect,” and how we are all affected by this theory.

In 1961 a meteorologist, Edward Lorenz, was entering data into his computer so that he could rerun a weather prediction. He needed to enter wind speed, air pressure and temperature into three separate equations. Since he was in a hurry, he decided to take a shortcut on a number in the sequence so he entered the decimal .506 instead of entering the full .506127.

Lorenz was a scientist and he knew this would change the result of the weather prediction, but he expected only a very minor change. He was astounded to discover that this seemingly insignificant change had made a huge difference in the final result of the predicted weather pattern. 

 An American Lady (Vanessa virginiensis) butterfly on a Firewheel
Winfrey Point, White Rock Lake

In the process, Lorenz had stumbled upon a theory that has subsequently become known as “The Butterfly Effect.” 

Lorenz and his cohorts started considering the question: “Does the flap of a butterfly's wings in Brazil set off a tornado in Texas?” This theory has been applied to many areas of science ever since.

So how does The Butterfly Effect apply to YOU?

Every decision you make, no matter how tiny and insignificant it may seem at the time, has consequences. Every choice you make in life has the potential to change the direction in which your life is heading. Wherever you are right now in life is the consequence of all those decisions, both big and small, that you have made throughout your life.

If you want to change your life, change the way you think.