Everything You Do Matters

by Greg McClanahan

How do butterflies affect the future of the Manufactured Housing Industry?

Everything you do matters.

Seriously! You must consider this fact as it pertains to every area of your life and profession.

If you are like me, I can look back at certain "defining moments" that changed the course of my life. Some of the big defining moments were my faith, convincing my amazing wife to marry me, and another significant decision was my career.

Let me explain this from a scientific and mathematical angle. Two years ago the great mathematician and meteorologist, Edward Lorenz, 90, passed away. One of the most famous physics phenomenons that he is credited for is the so-called "Butterfly Effect."

Back in the early sixties, Edward Lorenz was working on a computer model for weather forecasting. In one, simulation was used to track the pattern of a hurricane in order to warn those in its path. He decided to make a very small change in the initial conditions of the mathematical model as a way of simplifying the calculation. One account says that instead of using .0046213 in his calculation, he simply used .0046. Much to his surprise, the anticipated course the hurricane would follow changed completely!

Lorenz then realized that even if we have a very accurate mathematical model, it is possible that very small changes in the initial conditions will lead to wildly different results. In 1963 he published this discovery and afterwards continued to study the effects of small things and how they make a significant impact over time. In 1972 he was giving a lecture at the Association of Science and there described how a butterfly flapping its wings in Australia could eventually cause a hurricane off the Atlantic Coast. Thus, the "Butterfly Effect" was coined.

In general the smallest of air movement caused by a butterfly's wings would change the conditions in the air, which would set off other changes and so on until it could build to a point of influencing a hurricane.

What does this have to do with our life, our profession and future? I believe everything!

A few movies have used this idea as the basis for their story line. One film that may be familiar to most is "It's a Wonderful Life" with Jimmy Stewart. A Christmas favorite. In the movie, the main character, George, gets to see what the town would have been like if he had not been a part of the community. Through his bank, his generous lending practices and compassion for the residents of that town allowed for growth and a quality of life that was – well – wonderful. The various small things he did everyday turned out to be monumental over time.

When your feet hit the floor as you are getting out of bed each morning, you need to consider what the greatest use of your time is and what will be the most important thing to do next – even though they may seem small. Will you eat a healthy breakfast today and avoid the effects that can come from years of an unhealthy diet? Will you arrive a bit early to work and organize your day for maximum efficiency? Will you write a follow-up letter to a client and express appreciation for the opportunity to work with them and take a few moments to further explain the benefits of factory construction? Will you schedule time during your lunch hour for your personal and professional growth? (For our industry, there is not a better place than MHMSM.com – read an article a day or listen to a pod cast.) When you get home, will you spend time with your children and spouse to make sure they know there is nothing comes close to being more important to you than they are. And as your feet leave the floor to crawl back in bed, can you say, "I did the small things today that will make tomorrow even better"?

The legacy you leave behind is influenced by every decision. The success that you enjoy or will enjoy in your professional life can come down to the smallest of decisions. Discipline becomes the foundation of ongoing positive results as the wind begins to move around you because of your actions, and eventually your actions will have created a powerful hurricane.

Please stay with me through this story as an expanded example: Norman Borlaug won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970. His work in agriculture produced the development of a number of varieties of corn and wheat that would grow in arid regions of the world. This allowed many countries ravaged by starvation to grow their own food – something that could not be done until these different varieties and hybrid seeds were developed. He was credited for saving millions of lives from starvation and thus deserving of the Nobel Peace Prize.

However, this Nobel Peace Prize could have been given to Henry Wallace. Vice President Wallace urged President Roosevelt to participate in a world-wide effort to help fight hunger in underdeveloped nations. They looked to the United States for leadership. It is said that after much prodding by Vice President Wallace, President Roosevelt finally agreed to fund the research if Henry would take the reins. It was Henry Wallace who hired a relatively unknown Norman Borlaug to head up the research that would lead to the work that would eventually save millions of lives. Therefore, maybe Henry Wallace should have actually received that Prize.

However, it could have been given to George Washington Carver. It was in a college chemistry classroom where George Washington Carver sat next to the chemistry professor's young 12-year-old son from time to time as he would come to class with his father. This young boy gained his love for agriculture from George. Who would have known that later, this young boy would become the Vice President of the United States – Henry Wallace – and hire Norman Borlaug who in turn would save millions of lives? Maybe George Washington Carver deserves the credit for inspiring Henry Wallace.

However, it could have been given to Moses and Sara Carver. They owned a farm on which another family also lived as employees of the Carvers. After the Civil War, the story goes that a band of raiders still plundering those families who had once been slaves, came through the northern part of the Carver farm and attacked the Washington family. They killed the father and took the mother and her son. Because of the love Moses and Sara had for this family, Moses gathered up as many of their own possessions as he could carry to try to negotiate for their exchange. By the time he found the band of raiders, the child was all that remained barely alive. They agreed to an exchange, and Moses brought the baby home, nurtured him back to health and raised him as his own. This son of Mr. and Mrs. Washington was taught how to farm by his adopted father and bore the name of George Washington Carver. The Carvers were able to give him the opportunity to attend college – one of the first black students to attend a public university. Who would have known that Moses and Sara Carver's love of farming would transfer to George, who would later influence Henry Wallace who would become Vice President of the United States, who would hire Norman Borlaug who would save millions of lives?

The Butterfly Effect!

Greatness lies within your wings even though you may feel at the time that you are doing very little. Everything you do matters and conversely, everything you don't do matters. Your professional success will be the result of the decisions you make each moment and your legacy will be the result of the cumulative discipline you maintain in doing the right things throughout your life.

Just remember: Everything you do really does matter and you are absolutely making a difference! Choose to make it a positive difference. # #