Published:

06/25/2015 08:09pm

Do You Have Enough Impact?

At the beginning of every work day, what do you think about?
Your get-to-do list? A problem that needs to be solved?
What if you started every day thinking about the impact you are having?
What if every day, you think about the impact you could have?
Every business owner has impact. You have impact on your clients by what you offer and how you offer it. You have impact on your team.
That is only the beginning.
"If I had more than enough money in my business, I would create ways to help other people who want to start a business," said Nyeleti. She had just completed part of the Big Why process that I do with my coaching clients. She realized that her impact could extend considerably beyond her own and her family's economics.
"I would travel to London."
"I would build an orphanage for kids whose parents have died from AIDS."
"I would start homework programs for kids so that they have somewhere constructive to go after school and get support for their education."
"I would send my kids to a better school."
Earlier this month, I spent a week in South Africa, and had the privilege of sharing what I know about being a successful entrepreneur with Nyeleti and others. Though I was there to coach, I learned so much myself.
I also got very inspired about the impact we can each have in our business, and our lives.
The organization I was working with, the Good Work Foundation, has a mandate of education in rural South Africa. That is already ambitious, but they are doing even more. Kate Groch, the GWF CEO, has a vision for revolutionizing education. In the world.
The energy at GWF is contagious. Excitement for what they are doing, and what they see for the future. Lives profoundly changed. People lifted up, and creating their own impact.
I've been thinking a lot lately about the impact we each have in the world. About legacy. About ways we can up the ante and do more, do things that really matter, without it being a burden or just one more to-do.
This experience in South Africa has completely inspired me. The GWF staff. The students in their programs. People with limited resources creating positive change, and all challenging themselves to create more.
You don't have to live in South Africa to have impact. You can be anywhere. And your impact can be anything you choose.
Wouldn't you like to know that you are making this planet a better place?
Whether you choose to do that in your family, your business, your community, or beyond, it's all doing a service that ripples out. And out. And out.
There's no end to what is possible when you allow your vision to open and take action to have your own impact.
I'd like to share more stories of impact with you, and I will. In the meantime, let's start you thinking about the impact that you (yes, you!) could have. I want to support you in that in the best way, which means starting with encouraging you to have your own vision.
Here's a brief version of the Big Why process that entrepreneurs do in my workshops. Ask yourself these questions, in turn. Write down your answers to get the most out of the exercise.
Don't be concerned with what's practical. Don't worry about how you could do it. Write down whatever comes to your mind - let your responses just come. Let's begin!
1. If you had more than enough money from your business to cover all the business expenses, including your pay, what would you do with it?
Next, your Big-gest Why:
2. If you had as much money from your business as you could ever possibly imagine, what would you do with it?
Feeling expansive? The entrepreneurs I've done this with find my Big Why process incredibly energizing. Heart-opening.
Once you've answered the questions, check in with yourself. How do you feel? Pretty damn good, I'll bet.
You'll feel even better when you continue to remind yourself of this vision. You'll see new opportunities pop up. They will come from unexpected quarters. And when you start to act on those opportunities, wow! The energy will be amazing.
Your Big Why vision will carry you through challenges, difficult times in your business.
Your Big Why vision will offer you the chance to realize your own potential. To have the impact that only you can have.
It doesn't all have to be done at once. It doesn't even have to be big by anyone else's standards. It just has to be big and meaningful to you.
There is nothing you can imagine that is not possible, in some form. You wouldn't be able to imagine it if it weren't. How you're going to do it is probably unknown. And that's OK. You will find out how.
So let's start, OK? Pick one thing from your vision to share with someone you trust. Talk about it in as much detail as you can see. Write down or draw what you envision. Then, do one thing to start bringing it to life.
You can have more impact, if you choose. What does your impact look like?