The Butterfly Effect: You Never Truly Know Where Your Choices Will Lead You...

The butterfly effect is the idea that something very small done in this moment can end up having much larger effects on future outcomes.

I have always been fascinated by the dynamics and mechanics of life and the human experience. Among these, that fascinating way in which something seemingly quite small can actually turn out to be something truly momentous.

A working example might be that you pause in all your busy-ness and give $5 to the homeless person on the street corner, and it somehow starts off a chain of events that leads to you meeting the great love of your life.

If we want to get all technical and scientific about it, "The Butterfly Effect" is part of Chaos Theory and tells us that it is often almost impossible to consider all variables resulting from any one action, at least with respect to the eventual outcome.

In the context of what I'm trying to write about here, I am just speaking to the importance of being in the present moment and caring about what you do, when you're actually doing it.

As a wise person once told me — many years ago — that it doesn't cost any extra to be kind and compassionate.

In this modern world of ours we spend so much time of making plans and setting goals that we often end up being at odds with life, rather than in the flow of things; tuned in to the energy of the Universe.

What if we didn't have goals, and were able to live without a stated purpose?

Way back when, I read a book entitled "Living Without a Goal" and whereas it was not entirely relevant to my life — its focus was heavily on the corporate world — I did end up with one takeaway I have kept with me, after all these years: When we put too much energy into always structuring our lives and our path through the world we risk stifling our own creative expression.

We stop "allowing" life to unfold and present us with whatever amazing things are around the next corned... because we decide (ahead of time) that those things are not "on task."

When we don't set all those goals and simply allow life... we're not fenced in by limitations. And somehow opportunities start to manifest, out of the blue.

What happens when you have a day without a plan? Does it make you happy, or does it make you feel nervous and on edge? Maybe not even an entire day, but just some moments.

I often "take a different way," for no reason whatsoever. I'll have finished the grocery shopping, and then I decide to get home via streets I have not been on before, or haven't been on in many years... even though they are not necessarily the quick and easy way home.

Sometimes I drive down to the port and waterfront, and just sit there, looking at the boats, and the beach, and the seagulls and ducks. It has no purpose whatsoever... by many measures, it would be seen as "wasting time."

Just as a sidenote, living without goals and purpose doesn't mean you stop doing things. I do lots of things, pretty much all the time. Including writing blog posts at 1:00 in the morning!

But I am doing that because I want to...

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great week ahead!

How about you? Do you tend to be very structured and goal oriented? Or are you more of a go where the flow takes you person? Leave a comment if you feel so inclined — share your experiences — be part of the conversation!

(All text and images by the author, unless otherwise credited. This is ORIGINAL CONTENT, created expressly for this platform — Not posted elsewhere!)

Created at 2024.04.08 00:53 PDT
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