To help you understand this critical point, we can look to an interesting discovery made in meteorology called the butterfly effect. In 1961, Edward Norton Lorenz entered a figure for wind velocity into a computer in an attempt to predict weather conditions. Taking a shortcut, he entered .506 instead of .506127. What he found was astounding: that tiny difference of .000127 radically altered the ensuing weather scenario. The concept Lorenz developed around his findings became known as the butterfly effect, because a wind velocity difference of .000127 seems so totally insignificant—much like the difference in velocity that might be caused by the flapping wings of a butterfly. Lorenz concluded that the slightest and seemingly most insignificant initial condition could drastically modify the weather going forward. That tiny variation could create such a different path or momentum, that it might in fact initiate a chain of meteorological events that could change a sunny day into a tornado. In chaos theory, this is known as sensitive dependence on initial conditions. A tiny shift matters that much. The message is obvious, and I find the metaphorical conclusion—that every action, no matter how small, can cause a huge reaction somewhere else or at some future time—to be profound (and true).
The more we adjust or shift—even in tiny ways—the more we can look forward to sweeping changes showing up in our lives. We can cut one thing out of our diet, add a minute or two of meditation, or turn our attention just for a moment toward kindness, and before we know it we are different people creating a different world. This far-reaching shift is dependent entirely on our willingness to consistently move along the wellness continuum, in whatever incremental ways we can. In the atmosphere, as in life, every small factor is significant and influential. This is why setting your intention and living your life in a way that pulls you toward your ultimate empowerment—in every moment—is so important. You can direct your experience of life in such a fundamental way. Every conversation you have, every morsel you eat, every purchase you make, and on and on, factors in to where you will find yourself in a week, a year, or a decade. A friend of mine likes to remind me that even just wearing a button or putting a bumper sticker on your car can change the course of history. That's not just hyperbole. Think about it. Say the button sparks a conversation in the checkout line in the supermarket. The person you chatted with then adopts the change you are promoting. You have just changed every remaining day of that person's life. And if that person decides to make that advocacy issue his life's mission, well then, his excitement will generate yet more new waves in the world (or pond!) and thus the dance of life takes a new twist! All from simply putting a bumper sticker on your car or wearing a button. Every little thing you do adds up and before you know it you've created your life. And how you create your life ripples out and affects everyone and everything that crosses your path, known or unknown to you.