Your Personal Butterfly Effect

Restored from the Empower Network archive (2011–2017), lightly edited to meet our current advertising standards. Views are the original author’s.

You are interacting with everything. You are right now. You always have been. You always will be. In every moment of your life, every movement that you make
changes the world forever. Let me show you some of it a bit more clearly…

Take a deep breath. When you breathe in, you are taking into your body gases which have co-mingled with more plants, animals, and people than we could easily count.
Your body absorbs its favorite parts of this gas, and then sends it floating away, where it will touch countless more plants, animals, and people, transforming with
each interaction. Take another deep breath, more slowly. Your body is now playing with the gifts of this most recent breath, sending oxygen into more cells than we
could easily count, as they each perform their favorite feats with spectacular precision and grace. The cells in your bloodstream dance to the rhythm of the
heartbeat, carrying the oxygen to your brain where this very information is being processed from the visual patterns being taken in through the eyes, in perfect
combination with memories of the meanings given to you throughout your entire life of each individual word, and how these words come together to express a magnificent
variety of experiences.

Inhale slowly again, observing how the body relaxes to match the gentle pace at which the breath is flowing. The mind becomes more calm, and the memories of calm
moments float to you more naturally than a moment ago. The softer choice of words mellows the mood, allowing an air of peace and relaxation to caress your expression.
The gentle words bring a gentle feeling, and the gentle feeling continues the natural inclination to speak gently, move gently, and notice the most gentle things in
your current experience.

Imagine carrying this feeling with you and going outside for a walk. You open the door and notice the feeling of the wind against your skin, and breathe it in,
slowly. As you inhale, you hear the bright singing of birds, and notice the bright feeling within you, shining out into the world in the form of a smile. A neighbor
walking past sees your smile and notices the same bright feeling rising in himself and gives a wave as he passes by. You notice his posture relax, and his gaze become
more flowing as he begins to more thoroughly observe his surroundings, seeing the parts of his experience which resemble his bright feeling. And as he carries the
bright feeling around, expressing it, everyone who sees him takes it in, like a breath of fresh air, absorbs their favorite part of it, and then lets it flow out to
everyone who surrounds each of them.

Now, each of these people, while beginning this same bright ripple effect around them, is also noticing thoughts and memories which resemble their bright mood. So, as
well as being more likely to spread kindness and warmth, they are also in a state of mind to more naturally feel like acting on their passions. When a person is
feeling passionate about life, they naturally have and act on ideas which they are passionate about. This could be anything from art, to writing about their favorite
thing, to researching their favorite topic, to connecting with nature, or visiting their favorite people to share experiences or stories, to practicing a favorite
skill, to making a positive change in their life or for the world, or trying something they’ve always wanted to do with new confidence. It will be different for every
person in every moment.

Then, this action of pursuing one’s passions sparks admiration and inspiration in everyone who sees, beginning a whole NEW and more specific type of ripple effect to
everyone around them! And you were an essential part of it!
Imagine that!