I was at a course recently and in a group exercise one man shared how his daily pain and struggle is about impact. He’s no longer fighting to make more money, but he’s fighting in exactly the same way to make more impact. It occurred to me that impact is rapidly replacing money as a driver, a goal and a measure of success amongst the community of purpose-led entrepreneurs.
The problem is that this guy is pushing himself so hard that he’s getting in his own way. By treating impact like he previously treated money, as something to be achieved, he’s directly reducing his true impact and this is what’s causing his frustration. He’s placed the source of his happiness and satisfaction outside of himself (again) and is now striving to reach it. It struck me that he was quite unhappy as a result.
Whenever you feel that deep craving for more impact, there’s a much simpler way to deal with it that gives instant satisfaction and increases your long-term impact as well.
When you feel connected and at peace with yourself you emit an energy of peace and connection which is shared with all of us. Your immediate impact is more powerful than is obvious at first, because you’re connected with everything, so you’re affecting everything with your energy. You’re contributing to other people also feeling that peace and connection and you naturally feel fulfilled at the same time.
Contrast this with those times when you feel frustrated or disappointed with yourself for not creating more impact. The energy you transmit then is very different. You’re sharing your frustration, disappointment and negativity with all of us, contributing to more people feeling similar to you. This, no doubt, is not what you intended.
The path to creating greater impact through business is not one of overnight success. There are many challenges along the way and many chances to get waylaid, lose track or even get lost, as well as opportunities to learn, gain new strengths and solve problems. You may take a long time to achieve your goal and if you measure yourself against that you’re setting yourself up to feel inadequate much of the time.
Gaining mastery of yourself and your energy enables you to make more impact every day, regardless of how many people your business is currently serving Even if you’re starting up, the way you respond to every situation you face every day is an opportunity for you to have more impact.
By growing your impact this way you’re constantly making a difference which gives you and others satisfaction. This creates an environment within and around you where you can reach external success much more easily.
The longing to create more impact is a sign to yourself that it’s time to connect and find inner peace.
Right now.
Don’t put it off.
Everything else will follow.
Photo by Miguel Bruna on Unsplash