How the “Butterfly Effect” Might Be Shaping Your Entire Life

(Even if you’re not aware of it)

Did you ever wonder whether your existence matters? Whether your birth was a complete coincidence or if your death would lead to a change?

If your answer is yes, the butterfly effect could help you find answers and make sense of your life. At least in some ways.

The butterfly effect was first formulated by American meteorologist and mathematician Edward Lorenz in the 1960s.

His theory claims that even a tiny change in the starting of an event (such as the flutter of a butterfly) could lead to drastic differences in the outcome of the particular event.

Lorenz initially discovered the effect while doing weather forecasts.

To test weather predictions, he would enter data into the computer and check the results. He assumed leaving out one decimal point from the original number wouldn’t make a difference when making forecasts.

He believed these differences would be so small (like the flutter of a butterfly’s wings) that they couldn’t have an impact.

Yet, he was wrong.

Even tiny differences led to tremendous changes in the forecasts.

To illustrate, it’s being said that the fluttering of a butterfly’s wings in Brazil could lead to a tornado in Texas. And the subject question of a paper Lorenz wrote in 1972 was literally “Does the butterfly’s wings in Brazil set off a tornado in Texas?”

Yet, he wasn’t quite sure about the answer:

“We must therefore leave our original question unanswered for a few more years, even while affirming our faith in the instability of the atmosphere.”

Now admittedly, a tornado caused by a butterfly’s wings is an extreme example. And it’s probably based on conditions we can’t even control (such as the action of a butterfly), but what if we take Lorenz's question and use it to gain insights into the way we live and act every single day?

The basic claim of the butterfly effect is that even tiny changes can lead to huge differences.

This means the butterfly effect coins a simple philosophy stating that everything that happens could lead to a domino effect with immense consequences.

If we look at it that way, nothing that ever happens is irrelevant because anything could lead to a series of effects that can again lead to another series of effects and so on.

And at the same time, this also means that every current event results from a past action.

So the questions we could ask ourselves are:

What have I done in the past that has led to my current circumstances?

To which effects might my current actions lead? Am I showing up and doing things that will eventually lead to the future I desire or am I doing things that might be making my own life harder?

What‘s a problem I’m currently facing and which initial action from the past might’ve led to it? Is there anything I could’ve done differently? How can I do it differently in the future?

The truth is, we can’t control everything that happens in our lives.

In fact, we probably only control a tiny percentage of it, and the rest is based on luck, our origin, our genes, and many other factors we can’t influence.

Yet, that tiny percentage is everything we have, so it’s priceless, and we should do anything we can to make it count.

If I spend most of my evenings watching tv, sipping beer, and binging on chocolate bars or chips, I can’t wonder why I’m out of shape or not achieving any of my goals.

Similarly, if I never call my friends, I shouldn’t be surprised when they don’t invite me to the next trip or party.

Or, if I always complain about my partner’s behavior but never take the time to solve conflicts, I shouldn’t wonder if he chooses to come home late or suddenly starts to avoid conversations.

However, ignoring your friends or disrespecting your partner isn’t as insignificant as the flap of a butterfly’s wing, right?

So let’s take this to the next level.

The “human” butterfly effect

If we seriously want to explore how tiny actions could shape our lives, we need to dig deeper and look at the things we often do subconsciously.

Here’s an example: Imagine you forgot to mute your microphone and made a rude comment about a coworker during a meeting. It was loud and clear — everyone heard it.

The next day, your boss wants to talk to you.

Your coworker feels disrespected and doesn’t want to work with you anymore. Your other coworkers also feel uncomfortable and choose to stand with the victim instead of supporting your impolite behavior.

You lose your job.

After a few days of frustration and anxiety, you get back on your feet and are motivated to look for a new position.

You schedule an appointment with a photographer for a new picture on your CV and dress up.

When you arrive at the photo studio, you meet a former classmate. He had the appointment right before your session.

You’ve had a great friendship in the past but lost sight of each other after college.

He tells you he’s about to leave the country because he got a job offer and is moving in less than two months. And his company is still looking for someone to fill his position.

He was in digital marketing, just like you. His salary was 20% higher than yours, and his office is a 20-minute walk from your apartment.

You agree to have dinner together that day, meet up, and have a great evening.

After a few days, he introduces you to his boss, you have a casual interview and get the job. It’s a perfect match. You have amazing coworkers and feel aligned.

I know what you might think now:

This sounds like a fairytale.

That’s not how real life works.

This would never happen to me.

But hear me out: This sounds like a fairytale because all coincidences (except the first one — forgetting to mute yourself) were good.

And you might be annoyed because you don’t even expect your life to be that easy and good.

If we feel good for a while, we often think that something might be off. It feels “too good to be true.”

But the truth is, I made this example up, and making a rude comment about your coworker or losing your job could have totally different consequences. You might struggle to find a new job, run out of savings, lose your apartment, break up with your partner because of financial struggles, and end up in a deep depression.

But that’s not the point.

The point is that it all started with one small action. Or, in this case: inaction.

A small gesture, a few words, or even just the expression on your face could make a difference in your (or somebody else’s) life.

We can create a chain of positive (or negative) effects through tiny actions such as: Commenting on someone’s lovely shirt, helping an old lady carry her bags, opening the door for a young mother with a buggy, or simply saying thank you more often. And as stated in the bible:

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue.”

Most of the time, we’re so busy and stressed that we don’t pay much attention to our actions and words.

And then we wonder why certain things happen to us: Why our friends never call, why our partner doesn’t seem to care about us, or why we lose clients in our business.

But the truth is, we can control way more than we usually think just by being more careful about our small daily actions.

Sometimes, this small effect might be a coincidence or even an accident. E.g., spilling your coffee over your shirt in the morning might prevent you from being part of a major car accident on your way to work.

But other times, we can give our best to be calm, kind, and caring so we can engage in small activities that might lead to beautiful outcomes.

I met Philip, my boyfriend and co-founder, because I joined a startup conference back in 2017.

I was anxious about going to an event all by myself, but I also was curious, and I didn’t have any friends who would go there with me, so I had to go alone.

A few weeks before, I had coincidentally met a friend of a friend who told me about a startup she was trying to build. I didn’t really understand what it was about, but I was curious to try something new, so I joined the team.

At the conference, you had the chance to do a short pitch for your idea and see if anyone would want to join your team. The registration process required you to talk to one of the organizers, so I asked one of them if I could sign up to do a pitch.

The event organizer I coincidentally picked ended up being my co-founder and boyfriend.

If I hadn’t gone to the dinner, I would’ve never met the friend of my friend who told me about the startup.

If she hadn’t asked me about joining, I wouldn’t have had an idea to pitch at the conference.

If I hadn’t joined, I also wouldn’t have pitched.

Would I still have met my soulmate? Maybe. Maybe not.

I don’t know.

But I like to think that all our actions eventually lead to a unique path.

It makes me aware of the small decisions I make daily, but it also allows me to be less stubborn and trust in the flow of the universe.

Final thoughts

If tiny changes at the beginning of a chain can lead to tremendous outcomes, it means that we have the chance to change the trajectory of our entire life — every single day.

We might not experience those changes quickly, but they’re possible.

From now on, I hope you’ll be aware of the fact that you are at the beginning of many such chains every single day.

Even your tiniest actions could lead to significant differences in your (or somebody else’s) life.

Most of the time, one single action won’t have a significant impact on your life, but if you do “the right things” over and over again, you might eventually see how your life is being shaped in magical ways.

Billions of coincidental events and decisions have ultimately led to you being born, being the person you are right now, and living the life you live.

You might not be able to control and shape every aspect of your life, but the truth is, even your tiniest decisions can lead to changes in how you will experience the future.

Don’t underestimate the small decisions you’re making every single day.

Taking a different path to work might lead to meeting your soul mate.

Picking a different outfit might lead to an unexpected conversation.

Sharing your first video or blog post online might lead to a whole new career and opportunities you never even dreamed of.

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