A Little Thing

Take just a small step forward to make positive change happen in your life

Photo by David Mancini on Unsplash

I’m sure you’ve heard the adage about the Butterfly Effect. The idea behind it is that when a butterfly flaps its wings, the small action it makes reverberates and causes bigger changes to follow, even halfway across the world. We can mull that over and roll it around in our brains for a while, considering the impact of small actions and wondering if it is true. With the butterfly, it seems to address more the effects the actions of others have on us. But thinking more locally, what about our own actions, and the effects these small movements can have just on our own lives? Does it matter that I decided to take the dogs a few blocks farther this morning on their walk? What about my decision to run this program on the treadmill vs. that program? How about my choice of which egg to crack? Do all of these things make a difference?

Personally, I’m not willing to dwell too long on every movement I’ve made and the possibility of consequences, both good and bad, that may stem from them.

Instead, I’m thinking about forward steps — how even a tiny little step forward, a small difference that we consciously decided upon — those are the ones that can lead to a lasting, larger impact.