The Butterfly Effect: How Your Life Matters

The Butterfly Effect: How Your Life Matters, by Andy Andrews This gift book is beautifully designed and illustrated, perfect for the graduate, and everyone should read it. Andrews skillfully tells stories of ordinary people whose actions have powerfully impacted the lives of millions and gives us hope and courage to make better decisions ourselves.

Can one person influence events well beyond their lifetime? Can one person save two billion people? It seems impossible to comprehend. The idea that we are a miniscule blip in the grand workings of the universe is one put forth frequently, making us believe that our actions won't have much impact--the universe is much too vast. That may be true, but the earth is much smaller, and the things we say, the things we do, can have a marked and lasting impact. Such is the premise of Andy Andrews book "The Butterfly Effect." Taken from one of his most popular speeches, this book showcases two separate events in which the world as we know it would be very different had it not been for the courageous actions of two men. Presented as a pretty little coffee table book, "The Butterfly Effect" is well-written and easy to read (it takes about fifteen minutes), but it packs quite a powerful punch in its message. It shows us that those small acts of kindness we think won't really matter, those courageous actions we don't take because of our fears, can and do make an impact on the lives of those around us. Our creation, our very existence, is never for naught. We are each put on this earth for a unique purpose, no matter how large or small we perceive that purpose to be. A simple smile and a kind word each day can go a long way in the life of someone who needs it. Overcoming our fear of the consequences of doing the right thing when the right thing is unpopular can have a far-reaching influence. I can be just as cynical as the next person over the "feel good" messages in books like this...but this one definitely hit a nerve with me (in a good way). I would fully recommend this brief read to anyone in the hope that they would overcome that feeling of "Psh...it doesn't really matter anyway, so who cares?" It does matter, and we should all live our lives secure in that knowledge. Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their [...] book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 : "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

This book explains the Butterfly Effect. It is a concept that basically says that any action can have a ripple effect and change things for years to come. It gives a background on the theory and then includes two stories showing how this effect works. One is of a Civil War Colonel and the other is a story explaining how actions of a few people have saved the lives of billions of people. I would highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to show their children how a person's actions can affect the world forever. And if you want a similar book in a more childlike format, please consider A Boy Who Changed the World by Andy Andrews. Both are truly wonderful books. Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their [...] book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 [...] : "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

The Butterfly Effect: How Your Life Matters by Andy Andrews is a small yet powerful book to be read. It tells the story of Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain who was a colonel in the Union Army during the Civil War. Chamberlain had many decisions to make at the Battle of Gettysburg. Decisions that would affect this country and the future of it. Andrews uses Chamberlain to show the "butterfly effect' and how he believes that through the flapping of a butterfly's wings a wind could be started and carried on that can cause a hurricane on the whole other side of the world. The little things that may go unnoticed to some, but really make a HUGE difference in this world are shown throughout this book. One quote that I really liked that was made is this: "Every single thing you do matters. You have been created as one of a kind. You have been created in order to make a difference. You have within you the power to change the world." This book was a great pick me up type book. It can be a great encouragement to somebody who feels they are of no importance. The nice shiny cover and the beautiful pages and small size of this book would make for a great gift. This book was provided for review to me from [...] . All opinions expressed are completely mine. Thank you

I want to say up front, some people are going to be disappointed by this book, because they are going to measure it by volume, not by content. THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT by Andy Andrews can be read cover to cover in fifteen minutes, but I have read 1,000 page tomes that did not contain a fraction of the message and meaning of this tiny book. If you have seen Andy's DVD, The Seven Decisions, this is the same message Andy presents regarding the butterfly effect, specifically where he talks about the actions of Col. Chamberlin and Norman Borlaug. These are both incredible stories everyone should hear. I have used both of these stories to close training meetings and they are always met with tremendous emotion. I want to take just a moment to place my own little spin on the butterfly effect. Things happen for a reason. God has a Divine plan that is beyond our comprehension. Have you ever known exactly where you were going but for some reason took a wrong turn? You've made this same journey 1,000 times but for some reason today, you weren't paying attention and turned left instead of right. What were you thinking? Some people might slough this off as nothing, but I don't believe that. What if you had turned right as you always do? Perhaps by turning left, you avoided an accident and in that accident a young girl might have been injured or killed. Whose to say that young girl might have one day given birth to the person who someday cures cancer? By making a wrong turn, that tragedy was avoided. Now Andy's message here is much more deliberate and is more centered on the importance of every action we take, or don't, but the concept is the same. Actions matter. Actions make a difference and sometimes a much greater difference than we will ever be aware of. The 2 minute conversation you have the annoying neighbor kid may be of greater importance than the speech you give in front of a room full of people. Actions matter. If you want to under that concept better, read this little book.

As informative & inspirational as this book is, I am not gifted as a writer to share a 75+ word review.