Often we are inspired to make changes in our lives, but the impact, we make on life, is something very different. Impact is about action that we take that makes the difference.
Where can you make an impact for your life?
Family, we all have families and we can all make an impact on them, from grandparents, siblings, parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, partners, children and friends.
Work, many of us work outside the home and have an impact on employees, co-workers.
Working within a large system, some of us make an impact on a wider audience, because of what we do, such as working with local communities, investors, suppliers.
CEO's Leaders, these are people who have an impact on lots of people and can include world leaders
There's a handful of people who have changed the direction of civilisation often due to science and technology, think Bill Gates and the internet.
Within each of these groups you have the opportunity to make an impact of some kind.
So how do you live an impactful life?
Know what's important to you.
Know what your passion is and start to have it in your life, every day.
Know what your why is, your purpose.
Know yourself and the actions that you take, with the impact they have on others.
Focus your goals and passions so they are aligned with each other
Always give back as much as you can.
Make your life as simple as you can.
Remember life is about the journey and not the destination. Find purpose, happiness and meaning to your journey.
I've spoken before about this story of Stanislav Petrov, a Lieutenant Colonel in the Soviet army during the Cold War. It made an impact on my life because it's within my lifetime. A time I remember. A year later, Band Aid, Do they know it's Christmas came out.
In 1983, Petrov was on duty in a Soviet missile base when early warning systems apparently detected an incoming missile strike from the United States. Protocol dictated that the Soviets order a return strike.
But Petrov didn’t push the button. He reasoned that the number of missiles was too small to warrant a counterattack, thereby disobeying protocol.
If he had ordered a strike, there’s a reasonable chance hundreds of millions would have died. The two countries may have even ended up engaged in an all-out nuclear war, leading to billions of deaths and, potentially, the end of civilisation. If we’re being conservative, we might quantify his impact, by saying he saved one billion lives. But that could be an underestimate, because a nuclear war would also have devastated scientific, artistic, economic and all other forms of progress leading to a huge loss of life and well-being over the long run.
In 1983, I was 18 and had no idea what was happening. I was young, care free and nuclear war was not on my radar. Thinking about this story makes me realise the impact this unknown man had on my life, you could say that he saved my life.
It makes me realise that in life, you have no idea who you may have an impact on.
My intention is today, I make an impact on life.
Feel free to contact me if you have any questions. If this post has made you think and you would like to make a change, then contact me and we can have a free 30-minute chat about how I can help you and then start working together with some 1 2 1 coaching. Find the power within to change - why not do it today.
About the Author Elizabeth Pickering is an Executive Resilience coach, who helps people find success, focus and balance in their life. I take them from feeling overworked, overwhelmed, stuck and stressed to feeling energised, empowered and falling in love with life again.Working with sole traders, business owners and entrepreneurs, I keep them on track towards their goals, giving them energy, focus, motivation and the freedom to enjoy their life.