Reinventing Yourself: Baby Steps Can Bring Butterfly Effect Results

Reinventing Yourself: Baby Steps Can Bring Butterfly Effect Results

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reinventing oneself
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We’ve all read enough self-help books to get tired of the S.M.A.R.T goal setting formula. Yes, specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely are all important – only they are not enough! It’s not BIG goals you should be after, it’s the small habits that will win you the jackpot and help you to start reinventing yourself.

You see, a couple of months after the exciting “big commitment”, chances are you’re still daydreaming about this career makeover/life change. Because let’s be honest – life gets in the way…

Well, I have some good news and some bad news.

Bad news: most of those big-dreams and aspiring S.M.A.R.T goals never get achieved. Ouch!  The good news though: you can do something about it.

reinventing oneself
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Small systems are the name of the game. It’s easy to be overwhelmed with so many ideas and to get stuck on how to actually execute them, so creating a structured process and committing to taking one small step at a time to achieve your ultimate goal, is the way to make it all happen.

And the results? They are truly big. Huge actually. Don’t believe me? Well, I took way more math in school than I ever care to again, and that action has rippled on to bring me here with proof:

reinventing oneself
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In other words, the lesson for today is: do what you can, from where you are, with what you have right now.

Those baby steps will stimulate the Butterfly Effect theory, meaning that if you change even the smallest of life’s details, you completely change its outcome.

So spread your wings and let the theory do all the work for you!

reinventing oneselfHere are five reasons it will change your life for good:

1. Every Little Bit Counts

If you’re anything like me, you probably have a few hobby projects sitting half-finished in the closet among other ditched ideas, books, diet regimes and more. Give it a bit of time and your creativity kicks into gear to create excuses rather than results. The beauty of the Butterfly Effect? There’s no huge commitment.

By putting even the smallest habits into effect, you can make a major long-term difference. It’s as easy as sending one email to a co-worker, a potential boss, or to your former classmate once a night before you head off to bed. Super easy to commit to, right? Those little connections once a day will suddenly be 365 by the end of the year! Now that’s an accomplishment!

2. Habits Will Become Easier

You never have trouble checking Facebook in the morning to see if any funny new GIFs have been posted. Why? Because after doing it for a few days, weeks, or months, it becomes so ingrained in your schedule that you don’t even think about it. The same applies to brushing your teeth or shutting off the lights when you leave the room. By embracing the Butterfly Effect to your advantage, those little habits you form now will blossom into something you do without even thinking about it later.

3. New Habits and Opportunities Will Spark

The concept of the Butterfly Effect means more than setting off a chain reaction in one direction – it sets it off in a million. One small action is a stepping stone to opening your mind to the opportunities out there. In a way, trusting in the Butterfly Effect is an equivalent of breaking free from your comfort zone – only with less stress and fears involved, as you are committing to one small thing at a time.

4. You’ll Make a Difference in Others

Knocking over the dominos to end up somewhere completely different is about more than just you – that effect hits others too. Now, knocking over people isn’t going to have a good response (unless you’re a lot taller and stronger than I am), but the actions you take now will affect people in the future. By taking continuous action you might be able to inspire your college friend, or the girl next door, to step up her game and seek a change. You might meet new people, travel to new places and have more ways to influence others.

Reinventing Yourself
© Birdydiz/ Shutterstock.com

5. It will get you more focused

Modern society loves multi-tasking (and I’m as guilty as anyone). However, the myth of multi-tasking is that being busy is synonymous with being better. The exact opposite is true – having fewer tasks leads to better work. If you want to actually achieve your aspirations, instead of adding it to the list of diets to do, hobbies to pick up, languages and instruments to learn, etc. that you never actually finish, then the key is to learn how to focus.

Changes are hard. Committing to one takes a whole lot of courage and strong will, but what if there was a way to spark the results you’re aiming for without the big announcement, the huge goals and the disappointing feeling of failing yourself? But there is! Taking one baby step at a time will create strong habits and will multiply your success by 30!

Rita Golstein-Galperin is a multicultural expat living in Paris and a Career Makeover Strategist® for expat women. She created Expat Renaissance to help women rediscover, reinvent and redefine their professional-awesome-self while thriving overseas! Combining her honed strategic problem solving skills and widely interdisciplinary background as lawyer, entrepreneur, public policy professional, economist and lecturer she helps women get unstuck and embrace new opportunities abroad, whether in the job market or starting (and growing) their own business.

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