In the feeding frenzy that is the beginning of the new year, we are loaded up with to-do lists and action items.
This fresh year exuberance is good for a week or two of vigorous activity, then it starts to wane once the new year glow recedes from our collective consciousness.
This is why it is important to focus on impact.
Impact is the strength, the heat and the root of all that you hope to get done this year.
- What problem do you want to solve?
- What person do you want to support?
- What pain do you want to alleviate?
- What pleasure do you want to create?
When you keep yourself rooted in impact, you celebrate every single win, big and small. Because each win means impacting someone you care about and making the world a slightly better place at that moment, on that day.
You saw my proudest impact moments from last year on Friday.
What impact do you want to have this year?
not related to this post, but I’m about halfway through “Escape”, great book. I like the line about stealing people out from under corporation’s noses. 🙂
Continue to educate people in personal finance
To remain debt free
Learn different cultures
Visit Panama
Those are some really great questions Pam – and ones that everybody should be asking as we start this new year.
Just a shame that answering them’s proving quite difficult!
Pam,
These are four really great questions. I’ll tackle the second question here. One of my passions is supporting people who are out there, in the trenches, doing the good and important work that needs to be done. Like teachers. And non-profit workers. And volunteers. One of the ways I’m building this support is through writing. I believe peoples’ stories need to be told. When we’re able to listen to and honor each others’ stories I think that we can move towards a more hopeful place in our society and beyond it.
Thanks for the great and thought-provoking post!
Marina
Thanks, Pam,
This year, I’m hoping to support my local charities that fight violence against women and children by organizing a benefit performance of “The Vagina Monologues” in my city of San Clemente, CA. This is a HUGE undertaking for me since I have no theatre experience! I jumped in out of the desire to help and educate and am so happy I have such a great crew supporting me and the project.
This year I want to change one person’s financial or personal life through something they’ve read on my blog or an upcoming product. Even if I don’t know it.
This year will be an impact year for my life, I guarantee it.
This year I think I will measure impact in terms of “thank-you’s”. It won’t be so much about whether I accomplish something that convention defines as excelling, as much as whether the content I provide helps someone in even a small way.
Awesome post Pam, impact is the key. Those questions are great questions. I will look into them. Thanks so much for sharing.
Terrific post and SO TRUE. I can’t agree more about focusing on something that will deliver impact instead of creating and crossing off countless to do lists. Avoid the busy work and focus on the prize.
great point . . . classic case of the law of attraction at work. at least the way i interpreted it because it is the way it has worked for me.
Hey Pam:
Happy New Year!
The aha’s from working with you over the summer are starting to take root (ok pun intended… but true). I can’t wait to apply your 4 questions and see where it takes me and my new business.
Energized and focused,
Natalie
Thanks Pam for the impact you have had on me! And clearly so many others!
Hugs,
Cheryl
Pamela,
Thanks for opening the floor on such an important topic. Here’s the conclusion I’ve come to this weekend after a couple months of wrestling with the topic:
I’m a Catalyst, Architect, and Champion of Awesome Business Ideas. For me that means supporting purpose-driven entrepreneurs to design, strategize, and implement their best business ideas in ways that captivate their ideal clients, make a bigger difference in the world, and earn greater profits.
The main problem this solves is that too many people have ideas that are too great and will have too significant an impact to not be fully implemented. They’re not making the connections they could be making, changing lives they could be changing, or achieving the results they deserve to achieve.
It scares me to make such a bold stand for myself and the problem I help solve, but as I do it I’m getting a little more used to it. As I continue to claim it and take action to make it reality it will begin to show up as a fact.
Jim
I love it Jim, when you claim what you want, it makes it so much more clear and effective.
Here is to a great year!
-Pam