By: Dawn B. Ford
Part 2 of 3
In part one of this series (right below this post), we explored the scientific principle of the Butterfly Effect, which states everything in weather is interconnected and the slightest change in a given pattern could have profound affects. Using this law of physics as our starting point, we explored the idea that we could become a Butterfly Effect ourselves and have a positive effect on others. This section will look at some tangible ways to put our idea into practice.
So how can “little old you” affect many?
Your Sphere of Influence
Before you get overwhelmed with the concept of affecting thousands, millions or billions of people, stop, breathe and open your eyes. You won’t have to look long...there are literally hurting people everywhere. You don’t have to start grand, just a simple act of service can mean a lot.
Sometimes all a person needs is a smile, a hug, a helping hand or a listening ear. What if we all slowed down long enough to meet another’s need? How could you change a life today by just increasing your awareness and shifting your focus from your “to do list” to your “meet a need list.” Stop right now and think...is there someone you need to call? Is there a co-worker that is struggling? Is there a neighbor who needs a helping hand? Is there a spouse or a child who needs a little encouragement?
And what if you are the one who is hurting? Research shows that when we step out of ourselves and help others, we in turn are helped. Psychologists, Mark Snyder, PhD, from the University of Minnesota and Allen Omoto, PhD, from the Claremont Graduate University have studied individuals who volunteer for over 20 years. They have surveyed thousands of volunteers from all different age groups, all different backgrounds and have identified five primary motivations as to why people volunteer:
• Values. Volunteering to satisfy personal values or humanitarian concerns. For some people this can have a religious component.
• Community concern. Volunteering to help a particular community, such as a neighborhood or ethnic group, to which you feel attached.
• Esteem enhancement. Volunteering to feel better about yourself or escape other pressures.
• Understanding. Volunteering to gain a better understanding of other people, cultures or places.
• Personal development. Volunteering to challenge yourself, meet new people and make new friends, or further your career.
As you can see 3 of the 5 motivations start as a self-driven focus that moves outward, so both individuals benefit from the act of service. Another study conducted at the University of Kansas, showed the more someone volunteered, the more their compassion and concern grew. When you move in serve to another, you not only give, but also receive a positive Butterfly Effect. (“Helping Others, Helping Ourselves”, By Lea Winerman, Monitor On Psychology, December 2006, Vol. 37, No. 11, Print version: page 38).
Your Gifts and Talents
Everyone is good at something. Are you a whiz with computers or a gifted teacher? Are you good with a hammer or are you great at organizing? Maybe you can cook like nobody’s business?
Why not use your gifts and talents to help others? There are literally hundreds of organizations with all different focuses in need of your expertise. We’ve all been given special gifts and talents we cannot horde or keep to ourselves. Figure out what you’re passionate about, what would get you out of bed on a Saturday morning and start there. The more you enjoy something, the less work it is and the more someone would benefit from your abilities.
This also sustains the Butterfly Effect, as an article published in 1998 in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (Vol. 74, No. 6, pages 1516-1530), revealed. Psychologist E. Gil Clary, PhD, and Snyder found that the more closely a volunteer’s motivations and talents where match with the act of serve, the longer they volunteered.
On the flip side of things, being a positive Butterfly Effect can also allow you to step out of your comfort zone and try something you would not normally do. When I felt the pull to go on my first mission trip, I was planning to go with a group called Operation Smile. They help children all over the world who were born with cleft lip and/or palate. As a speech language pathologist, this is something I do as part of my career, so it would have been second nature. For reasons, out of my control the trip didn’t work out.
Instead I went with a friend to Mississippi to rebuild houses for family’s devastated by Hurricane Katrina. Me, Dawn B. Ford, afraid of power tools, afraid of heights and ladders and had never really picked up a hammer in her life, I was going to go help rebuild houses??? Well let me tell you, it was the most amazing trips of my life. I loved every minute of it. It was something I had never done and would have thought I could never do.
To Serve is a Verb
To serve: (verb)
• To render assistance; be of use; help.
• To be in the service of; work for.
• To be useful or of service to; help.
The act of serving or being a positive Butterfly Effect requires action. So you must get involved, you must invest your time, your talents and you must engage in relationships.
If you are involved in a church there are many opportunities to serve. If that is not your thing, get involved with a service project at work or check out your local newspaper /radio. I also found a great website called Volunteer Match.Org. All you need to enter is your zip code and all the local service opportunities in your area will pop up.
http://www.volunteermatch.org/search/
An organization near and dear to my heart is Led2Serve. Cofounders, Nancy Cummings and Vanessa Puleo equip, inspire and mobilize people to serve. If you, your family or your group want to find a serve project they have opportunities, locally in Orlando, nationally and internationally. And if you have a need for volunteers they can help you get the hands and feet you need.
http://www.led2serve.com/
Today there is so much darkness in the world and its time we all got together and shed some light. We can all be a positive Butterfly Effect, start small. Just start. Who knows the lives you can impact forever, if you start today.
Part three will highlight individuals both past and present who used the Butterfly Effect impact millions and changed the world.
Dawn Ford is the VP and creative director for Infinite Love Ministries. A Florida Non-profit corporation dedicated to showing all the infinite love of Christ. Check out their website at http://www.infiniteloveministries.com/
