Do you want your impact felt miles away?
Earlier this week the waves were crashing with a fury. Pow! Water spritzing everywhere. You could feel the power.
On the beach I felt the ripple effect of a hurricane taking place 2000 miles away. 
It prompted me to ask the question: What am I doing that is having an impact 2000 miles away?
So I’ll ask you the same kind of questions: Are you a person who wants to make a difference? Is your impact being felt 2000 miles away? Are you feeling satisfied about the contribution you are making?
Some of you might think that’s too much to think about, I’m just trying to make it through the day…
If you really want to have an impact and leave a legacy, you must lift above the concerns of the day and think about your impact miles away, and years away. All the “Steve Jobs” of the world do.
Yet, I hear the challenge of doing this everyday in our Resilience trainings (Success under Stress) to companies. “I’m so caught up in my ‘to do’ list I don’t have time to coach or mentor.”
“We are always in crisis mode its hard to step back and think about the best way to do things.”
“I don’t even have time to think about my career.”
A great practice is to start setting aside an hour a week to write detailed answers to questions that will move you out of this focus only on the moment: “How could we do this more effectively? How could I bring more value?”
Your everyday brain is focused on tactics and getting through the moment. Deep reflection engages creativity and helps you see a big picture. Take a few deep breaths at the beginning of your hour and you’ll be surprise the new ideas your brain sends you!
Or use the time to reflect about your career “What do I really want in my career?” Once you know that, you know how to start showing up each day to help you get there.
Call this time you set aside something motivating, like your ‘deep reflection’ time, or your Impact hour, etc.
You can use this idea in your personal life too. For example, its common that we get annoyed if our child has a meltdown in a store or refuses to go to sleep. Instead you could think about ‘what qualities do I want my child to have when s/he is 20 and how can I use this moment to teach those qualities?”
Stay tuned for emails you’ll receive from me in the next two weeks. I’m going to be sharing strategies for how you can influence other people so they follow your ideas and help you make the big impact you seek.
Here’s to your far away impact!
Sharon
P.S. If it would be beneficial for you and your colleagues to learn skills to calm your brains so you can focus, not react, and get the right things done, simply email me and I’ll send you information on our popular Resilience trainings.
P.P.S. If you feel frustrated that you are not having the kind of long term and far away impact you want, you can schedule a consult to see if its right for me to coach you to your next level.
