The Winners Code

GEORGE CHINGARANDE | Monday October 18, 2010 00:00

On the other hand, a tornado  is a violent, dangerous, rotating column of air that reaches from the earth to the clouds.  The most extreme tornadoes can attain wind speeds of more than 480 km/h, stretch more than 3 km across, and travel for more than 100 km.  Whereas butterflies very often go unnoticed, tornadoes immediately catch the eye and are notorious for leaving trails of destruction in their wake.

What is the link between tornadoes and butterflies?  Well, in 1961, meteorologist Edward Lorenz was working in his lab.  He was entering data into his computer in  a mathematical equation that was used to predict weather patterns.  He was entering wind speed, air pressure and temperature into three separate equations that were inter- linked.

On this particular night Lorenzo was tired and instead of entering the figure 0.506127, he simply rounded it off and entered 0.506. The difference between those two figures is insignificant for most practical purposes, but not with weather predictions.

Lorenzo was astounded to discover that this tiny change made a profound impact on the resulting weather pattern.  It actually led to the discovery that a tiny flap of the butterfly's wing in Brazil can cause a mighty tornado thousands of miles away in America.  This is what scientists now allude to as the Butterfly Effect.

The phrase refers to the idea that a butterfly's wings might create tiny changes in the atmosphere that may ultimately alter the path of a tornado or delay, accelerate or even prevent the occurrence of a tornado in a certain location.

The flapping wing represents a small change in the system, which causes a chain of events leading to large-scale alterations of events.  This has very profound implications on our everyday life.  What is true for nature is also true for people.  The butterfly effect is a metaphor for the potential of small positive changes to totally alter the destinies of our lives.

Many people and even organisations labour under the illusion that they need to initiate great changes for them to begin to reap the results they long for.

Many more people feel powerless because they believe they need some kind of big breakthrough change for them to get to the next level in their lives; and somehow they seem not to have the material, financial, spiritual and physical resources to initiate such changes.  The butterfly effect teaches us that infinitesimally small changes do indeed result in revolutions.

While the butterfly does not 'cause' the tornado in the sense of providing the energy for the tornado, it does 'cause' it in the sense that the flap of its wings is an essential part of the initial conditions resulting in a tornado, and without that flap that particular tornado would not have existed.  What does this mean for our lives?

The Changes That We Need Are Within ReachThe changes that are required in our lives and in our organisations are within our capabilities.  We do not need to develop the agility of the leopard or the strength of the zebra for us to get to the next level.

Small incremental, positive changes implemented consistently can so change the outlook of our lives that a few years from now we can look back and be astounded by what we would have become.

 Renowned psychologist William James asserted that the greatest discovery of our generation is that a human being can change his life by altering the attitude of his mind.

We can paraphrase William James this way: By changing your attitude towards your current situation, your partner, your finances, your ability and potential, your career, your relationships; you will literally totally change the outcomes that you get from your life starting from now.

The truth is that we each have an attitude towards every little aspect of our lives.  The sum total of these attitudes is what determines how we act and the results that we obtain.  All these are amenable to change, and these small changes will totally change the course of our lives.

Change Your Habits And Your Life Will ChangeMost people are locked into routine.  They do the same things everyday, and therefore their lives are rocking in the same places like toy horses.  A little tweak in your daily routine will bring tremendous changes.

One of the most successful authors in the world had a passion for writing, but his daily schedule was so punishing and left no time to spare.

He decided to make a little change.  Instead of waking up at 6 o'clock every morning he decided to wake up an hour earlier and devote that hour to his writing.

Within six months he had published his first book, and over a 40 year period he published hundreds of books that made him a multimillionaire.  And he did not have to quit his regular job.  A little change triggered the change of destiny. Every Small Act Has Potentially Great Consequences In January 1986 the space shuttle Challenger exploded 72 seconds after take off while the whole world watched on television.

All the people on board perished.  Investigations later uncovered that a little flaw in the rings, which had previously been ignored was behind the explosion on this particular day because the temperatures were a little lower than on other launches.  A little change resulted in a tragic disaster.  Lives and billions of dollars were lost because of a failure to attend to detail.

Always do your best.  There are no casual, ordinary or small actions or moments in life. A small word of encouragement can change someone's life and your life forever; an accidental meeting with somebody can open enormous opportunities for you.

Never underestimate yourself.  If a butterfly's wing can cause a tornado, how much more your actions?  There are no small jobs, but only small-minded people.  This week implement small changes to your life, and watch the results.winningmantra@yahoo.com