All that really matters is your impact

While driving to a funeral with a friend a few months ago we had one of those ‘what’s the meaning of life’ conversations. Fairly quickly we came to the conclusion that the ONLY thing that really matters in life is your impact – particularly the impact your decisions and actions have on your quality of life, those you love, and the planet.

This message has also been at the heart of the core messages in relation to minimising the threat of Covid-19: an unwelcome yet stark reminder of what’s really important in life. 

It’s not how many friends or followers you have that matters but rather how you touch hearts and make a difference to those important to you. 

What you do for a living isn’t nearly as important as the impact your work has on your health, wellbeing, and the contribution you want to make in the world.

What we have and own doesn’t really don’t matter (once our basic human needs are met). Yet many people consume things excessively and in ways that have a negative impact on their finances, the planet, and the lives of others in the chain of production. 

Being able to buy your children everything they want isn’t nearly as important as how they feel about the love, attention, and support they receive from you. 

Your future is now

Every single moment is a unique opportunity for you to make a choice that will profoundly change the rest of your life and that of others. Every decision you make matters. 

Don’t be fooled into thinking your destiny, the lives of others, and the sustainability of the planet is based on what you do in the future. The future is only the manifestation of every single thought, decision, and action you’ve made the past, plus whatever you decide to do next. 

The only reality is NOW. This very moment. 

Every time you interact with others you have an impact. 

Every time you leave your home you have an impact. 

Every time you speak or remain silent you have an impact. 

Every time to decide to make a purchase you have an impact. 

Every time you do nothing you have an impact.

Switching off your autopilot

Your impact isn’t something you can turn on or off–you are always having an impact.

But you can choose to switch off your auto-pilot and act consciously with positive intention (one of the principles I discuss in my book Heartatude, the 9 Principles of Heart-Centered Success).

The first step is to consciously decide on the impact you want to have (for you and others), decide your intentions (how you intend to be), and align your actions to these insights. 

This can be relatively easy to do in situations you are familiar with.

However, in areas new to you or where you have mindset/emotional blocks, you may need to get help, support, or educate yourself so you make better-informed decisions and act more appropriately.  This is true for all of us, no matter where we are on our personal development journey. 

Sometimes positive intentions aren’t good enough

At one level we all always do the best we can with the resources we have available at any particular time. But entering into situations with positive intention can’t be an excuse for hurting or killing people.

How often do you hear people sharing positive intentions as ways to justify why it’s OK for them to break COVID restrictions? Or to explain how didn’t mean to hurt or offend people?

As human beings, we can’t control how our actions (or inaction) are interpreted and we rarely know the full impact of what we do.

However, where our actions a negative impact, especially when due to ignorance, incompetence, or arrogance it’s important for us to learn, accept the consequences, and take remedial action where necessary. 

Your impact will always matter more than your intention. Few people go out with the intention of hurting or killing others. Yet plenty of kind and compassionate people do.  I’ll be sharing more about Intention versus Impact in my next blog. 

Let your truth guide your impact

A friend was recently telling me about a job she was applying for. On one hand, she said she was looking for a simpler, quieter, and more rural lifestyle. But the job she was applying for would have meant continuing to live in a city that exposed her to the same people and lifestyle she was keen to escape. She was so focused on getting a job she hadn’t considered exploring job options in places she’d prefer to live and making a change that would make a positive impact on her health and wellbeing. 

Being disconnected from our truth is a common illness. Symptoms include saying one thing and doing another, allowing what’s happening around us to cloud our judgment and failing to step back to consider what’s really important ahead of making important decisions. 

Most people drift through days, months, and years running on auto-pilot without any conscious awareness of the impact they are having, or the part they are playing in their experience of life–the good and the bad. 

If you want to feel better, cope better, make a change in your life or have more impact in the world you need to do something different to whatever you’re doing now. 

Remember EVERY decision you make and action you take has an impact–on your happiness, health and prosperity,  the lives of others, the sustainability of your business, and the planet. Now more than ever the world needs remarkable women like YOU to practice self-care, embrace your authentic gifts, and shine your light.

Live every day as though it’s your last, with the intention of living well into the future. Have dreams. Follow your heart. Believe in yourself. Be kind to others. Be conscious of the impact you are having in the world.

I help women enjoy a meaningful life and make a difference in the world so please do get in touch if you’d like any help with this.

 
 
P.S.  Check out the Women of Impact Book Club HERE. 
 
 
Often described as one of the most authentic and inspiring souls you can meet, Alisoun is on a mission to improve the lives of 100,000 people–by making it easy for women to enjoy a life of meaning, turn their passions into profits, and have more impact in the world.

Alisoun’s keynote talks, training, mentoring, and best-selling books Give-to-Profit: How to Grow Your Business by Supporting Charities and Social Causes and Heartatude: The 9 Principles of Heart-Centered Success have favorably changed the good fortune of thousands of people worldwide. She loves doing humanitarian work, fundraising, and living by the beach in Scotland.

Have you watched Alisoun’s TEDx talk? Check it out HERE

Alisoun is has written the following free resources:

  • Ebook: 101 Ways To Attract Great Clients, With Heart, Integrity & Social Impact (click here)
  • Ebook: 52 Ways to Raise Funds for Charities and Social Causes Through Your Business (click here)

You can connect with Alisoun here:

  • Alisoun Mackenzie Facebook Fanpage – click HERE
  • Inspiring Women of Impact Facebook Group – click HERE
  • Instagram – click HERE
  • Linkedin – click HERE
  • Twitter – @AlisounMac
  • Youtube – click HERE.
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