The Butterfly Effec, Mysticism, reading, forums, Numerology, Sun Signs, Divination

Posts: 5109 · Posted: Tue Oct 19, 2010 6:39 am

We are in the middle of the baseball playoffs and it’s a powerfully exciting time for me!
So exciting, in fact, that last week on the spur of the moment I got on a plane and headed to Tampa for a 24-hour trip to watch the Texas Rangers play the Tampa Bay Rays. Much to my delight, the Rangers won—and I had a front row seat!

This past weekend, I had a request to speak in Darwin, Australia, but I declined because there was no way I was going to miss the home playoff games! You see, for me, baseball is a priority. I was only home for four days in the month of September, but the things I have determined are priorities (not just baseball) I made time for. Being overwhelmed and not getting enough done is rarely a result of not enough time. More than likely, the problem is not identifying what your priorities are.

Everyone has the same amount of time that Albert Einstein, Thomas Edison, Leonardo Da Vinci and Alexander Graham Bell had. They accomplished so much not because they had more time but because they were focused. They identified their priorities. A girl once told a friend of mine that she would love to go on a date with him, but she just didn't have the time. He asked me for advice. I looked him squarely in the eye and said, “Man, when she says she doesn't have the time, she does have the time. What she means is she doesn't have time for YOU.”

We make time for priorities.

My challenge to you is to determine your priorities, focus on them and you will find decisions become easier when they don’t line up with your ultimate goals. Now, if you don't mind, I have determined my priorities, so we will have to catch up later. I have some baseball to watch!

Ron White

1. The Butterfly Effect by Ron White

It was 1960 and meteorologist Edward Lorenz was working in his lab. He was entering data into his computer in the hope of modeling weather patterns when he stumbled upon a theory that is known as “The Butterfly Effect.” He was entering wind speed, air pressure and temperature into three separate equations that were linked in a mathematical feedback loop. This equation allowed Lorenz to predict weather patterns.

One day Lorenz was in a bit of a hurry and opted to take a shortcut when entering the data. He rounded the numbers to the nearest one thousandth rather than to the nearest one millionth (for example, .407 instead of .407349). As a scientist, he knew this would change the result—however he expected only a minor change. Lorenz was astounded to discover that this tiny change made a profound impact on the final resulting weather pattern. This discovery led Lorenz to ponder: Does the flap of a butterfly’s wing in Brazil cause a tornado in Texas? Thus, you have “The Butterfly Effect” theory.

This theory has been applied to all areas of science since Lorenz’s 1960 experiment.

What does it mean for your life?

It means that every decision or action that you make—no matter how small—could potentially dramatically alter the course of your life. My life, as I am sure is the case with yours, is a testimony to the butterfly effect. When I was 12 years old, I met a friend named Brian in P.E. class. More than two decades later, Brian is still my best friend. At the age of 12, Brian had a thirst for learning and studying (the other 12-year-olds called him a nerd), and he was a fitness fanatic. He still has these qualities, and because of our friendship they rubbed off on me. At the age of 18, I needed a job and he secured me a job where he worked as a telemarketer. My third day on the job, I made a telemarketing call to someone in the seminar business. He thought I was a good telemarketer and offered me a job over the phone.

Did you follow that?

CHARACTER

“Our character is basically a composite of our habits. Because they are consistent, often unconscious patterns, they constantly, daily, express our character.” —Stephen Covey

“You can easily judge the character of a man by how he treats those who can do nothing for him.” —James D. Miles

“Character is a quality that embodies many important traits, such as integrity, courage, perseverance, confidence and wisdom. Unlike your fingerprints that you are born with and can’t change, character is something that you create within yourself and must take responsibility for changing.” —Jim Rohn

“Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved.” —Helen Keller

“Ability may get you to the top, but it takes character to keep you there.” —John Wooden

Power from Empowerment by Denis Waitley

A good way to think of leadership is the process of freeing your team members to do the best work they possibly can. I have followed NBA basketball coach Phil Jackson’s career.

Like Phil Jackson who moved from the record setting Chicago Bulls to the Los Angeles Lakers. Jackson says his principal task is creating an environment in which his players can flourish. In communicating with his championship teams, Jackson convinced them that they had the talent to win championships, and that the main goal of the coach was going to be freeing them to use that talent.

Today’s business team members say they want, more than anything else, the autonomy to do their jobs without the boss’s interference. In the new century, it’s already clear that the CEOs of our best-run companies believe that the more power leaders have, the less they should use.

The job of the team leader is to set a mission, decide upon a strategic direction, achieve the necessary cooperation, delegate authority—and then let people innovate. To do that we all could take a hint from late football coach Paul “Bear” Bryant. Before his retirement as one of the leading coaches in college football history at Alabama, Bryant observed:

I’m just a plowhand from Arkansas, but I’ve learned how to put and hold a team together. I’ve learned how to lift some individuals up and how to calm others down, until finally they’ve got one heartbeat together, as a team. To do that, there are just three things I’d ever have to say: If anything went wrong, I did it. If it went semi-good, then we did it. If anything went real good, then you did it! That’s really all it takes to get other people to win for you.

The key to authentic leadership is to listen to your followers, and then open the door for them to lead themselves. The secret is empowerment. The main incentive is genuine caring and recognition.

The five most important words a leader can speak are: “I am proud of you.”
The four most important are: “What is your opinion?”
The three most important are: “If you please.”
The two most important are: “Thank you.”
And the most important single word of all is: “You!”