Hey guys , and welcome back to another episode of your Brain's Coach podcast . My name is Angela Shurina , I'm your host , I'm your Brain's Coach , and it is my job and absolute joy and pleasure to bring to you all the best , cutting-edge , most important , useful , incredibly effective brain-body tools so you can take better control of your emotions , of your thoughts and , most importantly , of your actions to shape the life experience that you absolutely love living Folks . Today , I'm so inspired to chat with you about this tool , this concept that I've been using for quite a while in my own life , very , very successfully to create fast change , or sometimes I say change on steroids exponential change that just keeps on building on itself . So I've been using it in my life for different transformations of my lifestyle , of my business , of my work , of my relationships , and I also teach it to clients in all different shapes and forms because it works so well . And today I feel like I've reinvented a wheel . I'm like , oh , I didn't know this concept was actually so widely used in system thinking , or thinking in systems , applied to business , applied to preventing or diagnosing , creating better tools for managing natural disasters , in coaching , in so many things . You know , system thinking , thinking in systems it's quite an old theory and field of science and field of research and again , it's applicable in so many areas of life and science and business and health and relationships . And I didn't know it was there and I've been using it for quite some time and I wish I knew it sooner . Or maybe it's the right time . So what am I talking about here ? I'm talking about the snowball effect . I even gave it the same name before reading about that . So , snowball effect , let's read some definitions . Well , let's actually first talk about thinking in systems , or systems thinking . What is it anyway ? So , definition from a dictionary Systems thinking , it's a way of understanding the complexity of the world by seeing it as a whole , focusing on relationships and patterns , rather than breaking it down into isolated parts .
Speaker 1And you see folks in life versus , you know what our brain often tricks us into thinking . In life , most of the things have non-linear relationships , with many , many players involved , shaping , creating the ultimate outcome . So it's never just one thing . Speaking plainly and clearly , it's always like the results that we get in most things in life are a result of interaction , interplay , of many different factors in our environment , which is outside environment , inside environment , relationships , moods , weather . It's all connected . Since I was a kid , I actually was really fascinated by the sum of fact and the results that we get . I always felt like a human being and just what field theory says , or specifically , human behavior , is the result of a human in the environment , and both are constantly changing in the environment and both are constantly changing .
Speaker 1No-transcript my willpower or thinking or decision-making . It's actually the interplay of different relationships and contexts . Again , what's happening outside of me , inside of me , in different relationships , and even things like weather . All of those things affect our thinking , emotions , decision-making and then our actions . And then we start repeating certain actions and certain behavior patterns and that's how we snowball into a specific result . And , by the way , you can create good snowballs or bad snowballs . And let's talk more about snowball effect and good and bad snowballs , so sorry .
Speaker 1The snowball effect in a nutshell . The snowball effect is a metaphor that describes any action or event as it evolves from something unimportant to something larger and more significant . The metaphor is named after the analogy of a snowball as it rolls down a hill covered in snow . The snowball effect describes a scenario where one action or event results in many similar and more significant actions or events . Have you ever made a snowball Guys ?
Speaker 1I grew up in Siberia , so for me it's like a natural part of my childhood , making snowballs and snowmen Six months of the year winter . So we had plenty of time . We had skiing classes , a lot of time outside , even during school time , right . So making snowballs was a part of my life , even though learning about how I can apply that in my life didn't really , uh , get into my awareness till many , many years later , like two decades later or so . Anyhow , this snowball feedback loop , so a lot of things in nature , in business , in our habitual behaviors , have this nature of a snowball .
Speaker 1So let me give you an example from my personal life . That used to happen at some point before I learned well , used to happen in a bad way before I learned how to use it in a good way . So you wake up to bad weather and then your brain starts going into the direction of ruminating on all the bad things that happened recently . Among all the good things , because of it's raining and it's gloomy and in Siberia , where I grew up , it was quite a usual occurrence and all of a sudden you start thinking about all of the bad things that didn't work out exactly as you wanted . And then all of a sudden you want to stay in and watch some movie , and then , while doing so , you decide to stay in and eat all the comforting foods because , well , life is not that great and it's raining outside , and then you don't feel like working out today , now and the next morning , and then you don't feel like doing much , because when you exercise and move you get more energy , and when you don't , you just feel like sitting , and then you don't . You just feel like sitting , and then you don't get the dopamine that you usually get from movement and exercise . And all of a sudden you don't feel motivated to do anything and you feel less energized and less driven . And then it snowballs into a whole week , or sometimes many weeks , of just barely doing anything and definitely not doing your best . And that's how we snowball into falling off the wagon with exercise , with our eating habits , sleeping habits , relationship habits , our work ethic .
Speaker 1So it started with this one small thing , the weather that triggered one thought , one emotion into the negative direction . This is how snowball effect works in your life . It can work the same in relationships , when one word , one phrase triggers a whole cascade of stuff that comes out of it the stuff that you're not proud of . And all of a sudden you create this fight out of nothing , which then snowballs into perhaps many days of not talking to each other , and then maybe a ruined relationship . Other and then maybe a ruined relationship . And sometimes it starts with something as simple as not I don't know getting some grocery that you asked for , exactly the way you want it . And you know how that happens Snowball effect and that the same thing can happen in your business . You make one decision and then it creates a certain interaction with your customer or a business partner or an investor , and then that triggers bad mood in them and that snowballs a whole bunch of things which might result in your business closure or losing a whole lot of business .
Speaker 1So snowballs , and then also in nature , there are many feedback loops that trigger more and more severe results , like melting of ice in , I think , antarctica or Arctica I'm not that great with that part of scientific research or accumulating of carbon dioxide gases right , the more it accumulates , the more the weather changes . The more the weather changes , the more it accumulates , and the further and further down the consequences get worse and worse and worse . And so the good news we can actually turn those bad or dirty snowballs into good and white ones . And how do we do that ? Well , what I learned in coaching and in my personal change is the most important thing . First , you gotta become aware of this happening . Become aware of this happening and , by the way , in the link to our show notes there is a really good worksheet made by Precision Nutrition Experts where I'm constantly getting through some coaching program , just because it's so damn awesome , like the things that they teach you about change and coaching and different aspects of health , and not just physical health but also things like existential health . Anyhow , the worksheet to become more aware of triggers and behaviors and what causes those snowball moments and patterns of behavior . So the worksheet , the link to that worksheet , absolutely free , is in the show notes , but anyhow .
Speaker 1So the first step to making those snowballs , to turning the snowballs into good ones , into the ones that produce vicious circles versus , or virtuous circles versus vicious circles that produce negative outcomes that we don't want , right ? So the first step is raise awareness . So the first step is raise awareness Notice the behavior , the pattern , the loop , the snowball loop that you don't want to happen . So notice and then identify the trigger . This is a crucial moment . Figure out what was it that started it . No-transcript going and going and going and going until you get the result that it has a lot more significant consequences and not the good ones . Right , what is the trigger ? What starts this snowball rolling in the wrong direction ? And then , once you identify the trigger , brainstorm alternatives . And then , once you identify the trigger , brainstorm alternatives what actions could start a positive , good snowball forming instead ?
Speaker 1For me , it's almost , in most cases , the behavior that I don't want . The antidote to that is going for a walk , getting outside , doing some movement , just keeping myself moving and changing my thinking , my emotions . Movement changes your biochemistry , it changes what reactions happen in you and that changes your emotions and that changes your thoughts and that ultimately changes your actions . And then also , I listen to someone who always puts me in a better , more proactive , someone who always puts me in a better , more proactive , more driven and productive state of mind and emotions , something like Alex Hormoz's podcast or Simon Sinek , or there are so many great podcasts and people who you just listen to and they put you on the right track back . So brainstorm those alternatives . Again , for me , walk , because you can always walk . I don't know , unless you're in some sort of captivity , you can always walk right . You can always change your state physically , maybe do a few push-ups , jumping jack , listen to your favorite music , whatever that is , and then brainstorm all these alternatives and then take action .
Speaker 1The next time when you notice that trigger Maybe again bad weather , conversation with a certain person or people when you notice that trigger , implement the antidote immediately and with practice it gets better and better and better . And , by the way , you're not going to be feeling like doing it , because your brain gets used to specific patterns , specific cycle or specific sequence of events , and whatever is different from that will feel uncomfortable , like not yourself . But guess what ? Maybe the old self is not the one that you want to build or create or save and retain . You want to build new behaviors to create new you , a future you , and so change always feels uncomfortable to the level of your brain and emotions . So expect it . And when you introduce new action , just expect it to feel weird , like it's not what I usually do , because it isn't , and that's how you start rolling a good snowball , a whitey snowball , the one that leads you towards a better future outcome , and that same thinking and that same action plan you can apply to anything , whether that's your business , whether that's relationships , whether that's your work , whether that's your health habits exercise , sleep , eating , eating .
Speaker 1It's a way . It's again something that comes from a field of research that's called systems thinking , and I guess the most important thing to understand here is in your life and you as a person and your business , it's never just one thing , it's the interplay , it's the relationships , never just one thing , it's the interplay , it's the relationships , it's all of these parts of the system that work together , and sometimes you don't even see all the parts of the systems , and that's what makes it challenging . That's what makes identifying triggers so challenging , because sometimes you think you see it all , but very often we don't . And so we also got to learn how to see better , maybe using different tools , different people , getting outside of your own head , asking questions , getting feedback right . That's why getting feedback , for example , either from data or from other people , is so important .
Speaker 1So , anyhow , the most important takeaway , folks , is realizing that what you do , what your business does , what happens in your relationships , it's never one thing and it's a result of relationships , of interplay , of external-internal environments and all these kind of triggers and realizing that and thinking deeper about change and putting in place the right kind of triggers , guardrails , creating the right kind of environment so you create consciously the right kind of snowball loops , the right kind of snowball loops , which then create the change that you want much easier and on steroids . Some people even call it exponential change . All exponential change not all , but at least what I thought of , like a lot of it , is based on that snowball effect , on this self-reinforcing feedback loop when you put one thing in and then it just keeps rolling and rolling and rolling and rolling until you get this big , huge snowball that makes it impossible to not notice , that changes the world . That's how , actually , nature makes a lot of change super easy , investing the least possible energy . So snowball effects and snowball loops are everywhere . So start noticing them . That is thing number one . And then start learning , testing , experimenting with , introducing those micro triggers that change the direction of the snowball , which creates the change that you want much easier , simpler and faster . And that's it for today . That's what I wanted to share with you this Monday , or whenever you happen to listen to this podcast .
Speaker 1To listen to this podcast If you are blown away , just like I was by all these system thinking concepts , the snowball effect . Then give me a shout out , share this podcast episode on social media , on Spotify , on Instagram . I'm on Instagram , angelabrainbodycoach . Tag me or email me or send me a message . My email Angela at BrainBreakthroughCoachcom .
Speaker 1Don't forget there is a behavior awareness worksheet linked in the show notes if you want to work on that awareness of why certain things happen and how to interact in the right time , in the right way to create better outcomes using the snowball feedback loop and what else . If you find this useful , please do share it with other people . Let's help each other to do better in our personal lives , in our personal health relationships business . Let's help each other to do better in our personal lives , in our personal health relationships , business . Let's thrive together . And till next time that's your homework Start noticing those snowball loops so you can create the life that you desire a lot faster and a lot easier , just like nature does . Talk to you soon . Have an awesome snowball in a good way kind of day and a week .