In The Butterfly Effect, Evan goes back in time to try to change the future for the better, with unexpected consequences each time.

The butterfly effect is the phenomenon whereby one little action (the flutter of a butterfly) magnifies over time into a huge effect in the long-run (think along the lines of a tornado).

What if one tiny action you took, as simple as the act of a butterfly fluttering it’s wings, could alter someone else’s life.

On a day that everything is going your way, you see them; the mom who looks rundown, the businessman who looks stressed, the teenager with tears in her eyes… people who are struggling.

However, when you’re having a tough day, you don’t tend to see those people. You’re more wrapped up in your own problems, perhaps wallowing in self-pity and self-doubt. You are certainly entitled to those feelings, but are they serving you? Would you like a tool that could not only shift how you feel but also create a butterfly effect in other peoples’ lives?

Here’s my idea:

Hand out cards. What do I mean by that? What if you were having a tough day because you’d been let down by someone and I, (a complete stranger), walked up to you and handed you a beautiful card with the word TRUST on it, said nothing, and then walked away.

You know those sayings, “Be the change you want to see” and “When the student is ready the teacher will appear”? You can BE the change you can BE the teacher. It’s easier than you think.

With websites like vistaprint.com, you can get free cards made up. Or you can print them on your own computer. I used Canva.com to create these cards from photographs I’d taken.

Another version of this is, if you know someone going through a tough time, write them a personalized card and don’t sign it. The anonymity, gives you the satisfaction of knowing you touched someone’s heart without the need for acknowledgment.

You can also carry blank cards with you and write them out when you see a stranger who may need your personalized uplifting words of encouragement.

The object here, is not to get into conversation, but to change someone else’s state and allow the butterfly effect of what you’ve done spread.

Focusing on these random or not-so-random acts of kindness, even when you are going through a challenge, can create your own butterfly effect.

AND ACTION!



   1. Create at least 3 cards that you can carry with you.

1.   2.Hand them out, and experience how it makes you feel. If you like it, take it further and create more cards.

The consequences Evan caused came out of a desire to alter his life. Imagine how this simple gesture could alter yours and those you touch.