You don’t have to be a famous name to make an impact, all you need is your heart in the right place. Not that I imagine for a minute that your heart could physically move, more your emotional heart. The one that beats with your innate wisdom and goodness.
One of the easiest ways to create an impact is through daily acts of kindness which start with you. How kind are you being to yourself? When I embarked on what I call my journey to self-love, my journal was a constant companion, helping me to create personal impact through self-awareness.
Impact I believe starts with self.
Just take a moment to reflect on your many journeys and the positive impact you have had on other’s lives – just by being you, making the choice to change and sharing your stories.
Many people have taken their hot mess and turned it into a message, and just as many have connected with and shared the wisdom gained through experiencing life through another lens. What is important is that they have shown great courage to dare to share.
People with a sense of purpose, no matter where it emanates from, light up others lives completely driven by their reason to be here. They shine a light, hold a space, listen and they are not afraid to get out there.
But where could one start, if they wanted to make an impact?
Smile
It’s amazing what doors can open if you reach out to people with a smile, friendly attitude, and a desire to make a positive impact. – Richard Branson
A smile is so simple. It lights you up, changes how you feel and when it radiates out and touches another you will make a connection. Of course, not everyone smiles back and that’s ok. It always makes me laugh when someone’s face doesn’t change. I wonder what is so awful in their lives that they can’t trust themselves to smile back.
Ask Yourself
Ask yourself what is the impact you want to make?
I did this on the weekend. Standing in front of my flipchart I scribbled with no other intention that to allow some words to flow. They are and these are without context:-
- Words that heal
- Inspire others
- Encourage action
- Awareness
- Educate
- Activate
I’m letting these sit for a while and then I will reflect on what they mean.
Take small daily actions
You do not need to make grand gestures (unless you want to). Something small everyday will make the difference.
- Offer to listen to someone in need
- Leave a thoughtful comment on a thread
- Give a hug or send a virtual one
- Leave a note somewhere with a fiver in so that someone can grab a coffee
- Pay it forward
- Give something away that might be small to you, but could mean the world to others
Inspirational and motivational quotes
I’ve picked these inspirational and motivational quotes so give you something to mull over while you ponder the impact you’d like to make in the world. Read each one, think about what it means to you and explore in your journal.
Fame is easy to acquire; impact is much more difficult. – Hans Rosling.
A man who liked to use data to explain how we could change the world. He has lots of talks over on TED go, look him up. You’ll never look at data in the same way.
If you think you’re too small to have an impact, try going to bed with a mosquito in the room. – Anita Roddick.
The incredible person behind Body Shop who shaped our thoughts behind natural products and being more ethical in our daily lives.
And as for mossies – no thank you!
Recognise that every interaction you have is an opportunity to make a positive impact on others. – Shep Hyken.
Hyken talks about customer service and says your customers don’t compare you to your competitors, but to the best customer service they have ever had. Now that’s food for thought.
Every action we take impacts the lives of others around us. – Arthur Carmazzi.
I confess I hadn’t heard of Arthur until recently. His purpose is to impact the world of leadership. He works to inspire leaders to change the culture of the organisation so that they create environments that are happier, motivated, competent and more effective. He has developed a methodology called Directive Communication Psychology. Coming from the world of corporate I applaud anyone who can achieve this.
Genius is in the idea. Impact, however, comes from action. – Simon Sinek.
I think most people will have heard of Simon Sinek and his work around Start With Why. This simple command always gets people thinking. What’s your why? And why is your why important to the impact you want to make?
Write a book and create a legacy with your ideas
Each of these has written a book. They probably didn’t set out to write a book when they decided they wanted to change the world in some way. They connected to their why, purpose and what and took consistent daily actions.
One day something would have tickled their grey matter or someone would have said, you know, it would be great if we could capture your greatness in a book so that more people could learn from you.
And so they did. And so can you.
Don’t ever underestimate the impact that you may have on someone else’s life. Start with a smile and your journal see where it leads you.
Ready to make an impact? Book in a call and lets explore how you can create an impact with your book (or blog).