The Big Impact of Small Decisions
Our life has been defined, is defined, and will be defined in the future, by the small decisions we make along the way.
Every action, movement, and decision that we make in our life, no matter how small, will consequently affect the way subsequent events unfold. And it is that this has a lot of common sense, logic and even physics indicates it to us with Newton’s laws (action-reaction).
In the scientific part, physics also touches on the issue of parallel universes, which indicates that for each possible outcome in any situation in the universe, a universe is generated in which such events occur … but this would already be the subject of another site.
What is naturally easy to understand is that for every little decision we make, one or more consequences will come, whether they are good or bad. And without a doubt, the difference in the future of how we find ourselves living our life will be tremendously radical, comparing whether the origin was one or another decision.
To understand a little more about the big effects of making small decisions, let’s see what the butterfly effect is all about.
The Butterfly Effect
The butterfly effect says that the flapping of the wings of a butterfly in America can generate a hurricane in Asia.
And with this, he does not mean that butterflies have something to do with the climatic conditions of the planet, but rather metaphorically, it indicates the impact that something so simple can have.
In the movie The Butterfly Effect (highly recommended, by the way) it is shown how the protagonists travel to the future after having made a decision in the present.
The results are completely different in the end when at first the change was supremely subtle. Each action leads to another and a snowball effect is triggered, which ultimately can only make the change monumental.
But … beyond the metaphors and stories of the cinema, let’s analyze how the butterfly effect helps us understand why small decisions have a great impact.
The classic example is that of the ball on the ceiling.
Suppose we are on top of the roof of a house. We are in the middle of the roof, where if we turn left, we see the street and to the right the courtyard of the house.
If we roll the ball across the middle tiles, at some point it will take one of two paths, eventually reaching one of two possible sides, significantly altering its “destination” or final location.
An example a little closer to reality, I experienced it very recently in my room.
As I spend much of my time at the desk where my computer is located, and due to the fact that it remains on for large amounts of time, one night I smelled a slight smell of burning.
I was at the time, testing a new game that they had loaned me.
In this situation, he could make a decision of two possible.
- Continue playing (perhaps the smell of burning came from outside).
- Review what was happening (it could be my computer that was about to explode).
I immediately felt something was wrong, and I quickly decided to abruptly unplug my machine from the outlet. To my surprise, the fan that evens out the temperature of the tower’s voltage source was stopped, and therefore, everything was gradually overheating, to the point that at some point, some of the parts could simply burn out.
I then changed the fountain fan (I had a new one saved) and turned my device back on… which worked great.
Now, what does this have to do with the butterfly effect?
That if I had made the decision not to verify what was happening, I would have simply run out of my most valuable work tool.
Faced with a decision with two possible paths, it is easy to see that one of them was not so disastrous after all (I was able to play later) but the other would have involved a great effort on my part to get back to the initial state (having a computer new).
And all, based on the fact that in a couple of seconds I made a small decision.
And that’s how everything is in life, every day, all day, we find small decisions that undoubtedly define our destiny.
How to Take Advantage of Small Decisions?
As Winston Churchill said:
“Be patient and gather all the possible elements before making a decision… but always take it”.
Every day, we have dozens of opportunities to change our lives. Some decisions will bring bigger changes than others, but all the decisions we make will impact our lives in some way.
It is essential then, not to allow our life to develop on automatic pilot, but on the contrary, we take control, day by day, of what we do, knowing (in some way) to make decisions, based on the possible results that they may have.
To take advantage of small decisions, it is not necessary, more than to ponder with a cool head, the possible benefits or damages that they can bring us.
But always, make up your mind, move forward, and be firm along the way.
