Butterfly Effect
Everything You do Counts
Wednesday, May 7th, 2025
Writing to you from Denver, Colorado
What if everything you did mattered?
Everything.
From the way you dressed, to how you greeted a stranger, how often you forced yourself to do something you know you should do, every argument you had, every word you spoke…
Depending on how you did everything you would either watch yourself improve, and in consequence, those you love would improve as well.
You’d set an example, a tone, for the good that could be done. Those you love, if they had an understanding of right and wrong, would see what you were doing - the constant personal effort to work towards something higher, something meaningful - and would seek to do the same in greater or lesser degrees in their own lives.
Your direct and indirect encouragement to watch them grow would take hold of them, uplift them.
Or…
You could stand by as each day of your life passes before you - day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year - with little to no effort and nothing changes.
Was it “easier”? Sure, but everything is worse than it could have been.
You remained stagnant and idle with nothing to show for all the time that was given to you. You’re not a better man, you have no clue what kind of good can be done, the relationships you have are so-so, the people you love don’t use you as an encouraging example of what is possible, and your view of the world is dull, lifeless, lacking necessary depth.
Turns Out…Everything Does Matter
If you plan on going through The Preparation you’ll begin to notice something strange happen over time…
The whole object of the program is to willingly choose an arduous path that’ll lead to you improving in every way possible: Your character will improve fast, you’ll learn skills that allow you to be valuable wherever you go, you’ll become a better speaker, thinker, you’ll learn how to learn, you’ll craft interesting relationships, make money, and gain a unique perspective on the world through the interesting experiences you have.
There’s no doubt that you will become a better man if you bring a sense of drive to the table.
But, the secondary (and mostly indirect benefits) come from the effect you have on other people. It’s amazing how much some people want to improve if they have a personal example of someone truly aiming high in their own lives.
The longer you stick to your own path - and the better you become - you’ll slowly begin to see those around you striving to be more.
It’s a butterfly effect…
But, we want to maximize the effect you have, not only on yourself, but on other people.
When you begin your own preparation you should (as we encourage everyone to do in the upcoming book on The Preparation) start publishing a weekly summary of all that you did/learned.
These weekly updates that you document become a “proof of work”.
They show that you’re dedicated to the path, help keep you making constant progress since you’ll be held accountable by your readers, and they also show people what’s possible.
Do this for a year, two years, four years - you’ll have a serious list of skills under your belt. For sure. But, you will also serve as an inspiration.
Most don’t even give 40% effort into their life.
So, what do you think would happen if someone (lets say a young man who is looking to get more out of his life) stumbled upon your work - years of 60%, maybe even 80% effort?
Now, what if ten young men stumbled upon it, or 100? And what if just 25 of those young men set out to replicate it?
There’s no telling the amount of good that could come from that.
Everything you do directly or indirectly effects those close to you…and those you’ve never even met.
Moving Forward
The butterfly effect is real and it’s not just about all the things that would or wouldn’t have happened in the world if Donald Trump wasn’t born or some crap like that…
No, it’s about the things you do.
I’m telling you from experience (what little of it I have) that if you put in large amounts of consistent effort to become a better man (in every way you can) you’ll get double the amount of benefit to the amount of original effort you put in.
Part of that benefit is watching other people grow.
So, act as if everything you do matters…
It does.
-Maxim Benjamin Smith