Impact: Owning our purpose, our values, and potential

In the midst of our current global pandemic, many of us are evaluating what comes next. I’m reading articles and participating in conversations centered around this idea of a “new normal”, talking about our post-COVID world. One thing is for certain: we have all been changed by these events.

What’s interesting to me about this global experience is that we are also seeing the direct impact of our choices and actions. Making the individual choice to stay home really does support the collective. It seems to me as though we are experiencing a reawakening, a homecoming, a return to the truth that we, as individuals, can instigate and be a part of the change we deeply desire.

Something magical happens when we recognize this two-part process. First, we identify the arenas in which our lives feel misaligned. Then, armed with that knowledge, we take responsibility for our decisions, words, and actions that affect those areas. When we do this, we are actively in process with the change we wish to see in the world. I call this notion and action Impact, and it is one of my core beliefs.

“My definition of IMPACT: The notion that through my work (and through living my life), I aim to practice on a small scale the change I wish to see in the world. ”

You have more power than you think

Right now, we’re all learning the impact that something so tiny—something invisible to the human eye—can have on the world.

In the midst of this crisis, we are striving to stop the spread of something small, but powerful. The point is that small things CAN be powerful, spread rapidly, and that we can play a role in this. We may feel insignificant, defeated, powerless, but we are not. We’re learning that our words and actions have a massive impact on the world around us. We can all become vectors for the spread of viruses, yes, and also for the proliferation of ideas and change.

All major changes/revolutions/shifts/movements start with something small. The spark of an idea. A small act of courage. A single word.

It is often the determination of a creative minority that reorders society. These tidal waves of systemic change often begin with underground organizations, secret gatherings, and an impenetrable belief that we can no longer continue in the way we always have.

Our systems are crumbling around us. We are all reaching our breaking points. Now is the time to dilate your ears to listen to the rumblings deep within your heart and soul. What is it that you’re yearning to step into? Honor the fear, doubt, or uncertainty that might arise, but don’t give it power over you. What is the tiniest action you can take to honor that inner voice? Now is the time to courageously say yes. You never know what might be unleashed when you turn away from the NO and step into your YES.

Owning our values in business

I think many of us get into business with the desire to change something. Perhaps we had an unsatisfactory experience with another job, and we have deeply held convictions that there is another way of doing it, so we set out on our own to find and define it. Even if our path to entrepreneurship started out by necessity or was initiated from a lack of other viable options, we all eventually arrive at a point in which we’ll have to answer questions that speak directly to the impact we wish to have: mission, vision, core values, differentiators, who we aim to serve.

While these beliefs are defined for the business, they are inextricably intertwined with the personal values of those who defined them. Starting and running a business is just one platform, just one way, that some of us choose to showcase what it is we believe.

And if you haven’t given yourself space to really define these for yourself or your business, then I will so lovingly encourage you to explore that now. In these moments when everything we thought we knew has crumbled, this is a most opportune time to begin to courageously rebuild with our soul as the foreman.

Defining your values

We can create impact either consciously or unconsciously. Unconscious impact is often the product of unexamined beliefs and fears, but most of all, core beliefs and values. We have core beliefs and values whether we realize it or not, and we act on those either on purpose or automatically.

To create impact on purpose, we need to understand our core values and own them. We need to examine those unconscious fears that may cloud our values.

Here are a few powerful questions to help you identify your core beliefs and the impact you’d like to have in the world:

If you could change anything about the world and the way our society works, what would it be?
What would your ideal life look like?
How do you want to feel in your everyday life?

Try to sum these up in a few words. It might seem impossible to distill these ideals and feelings into a few simple nouns, verbs, and adjectives, but often, naming a thing gives it clarity.

Maybe you want to feel peaceful. Happy. Appreciated. Grateful. Maybe your ideal life involves you spending more time with the people you love and less time striving, struggling, and achieving. You might call this feeling “freedom.”

Maybe you yearn for human connection and enjoy forging deeply soulful relationships. You might call this “love.”

Maybe you want to feel that you are doing what you were put on this earth to do—to live a life of service. You might call this “purpose,” “generosity,” or “impact.”

Now think about it: How could you act on those beliefs and bring more of these qualities into your own life and the lives of those around you?

If you wish people were kinder to one another, start by being kind.

If you wish society cared more about this planet, start by taking actions to lower your carbon footprint.

If you wish the glorification of “busy-ness” and hustling were replaced with peace, balance, and authenticity, then start by taking a few deep breaths when you find yourself getting sucked in.

It might feel like a leap of faith, especially if you don’t see much of these values happening around you, but this is where your autonomy can create real impact. You can be the first domino in the chain reaction, the first stone in the pond that causes the cascading ripple.

Your words and actions matter. If you ever doubt that, pause for a moment to remember the moment that even brought you to this point in time. In hindsight, we can see all the dots connect ever so neatly. But it was a combination of circumstance, plus our response to those that lead us here.

We have the power to choose. And every fresh moment brings a renewal. After all, our lives are a collection of moments. What will you do with this one?