How To Go From Powerless to Powerful with Intentional Impact

How To Go From Powerless to Powerful with Intentional Impact

Core Article Originally Published on Forbes

We keep throwing this word around called ‘impact’. Can you go from powerless to powerful? Do you know what your impact is and how would you define, discover, understand or leverage it? It’s like the way my husband describes calories: he’s never seen a calorie, so he’s not sure if they exist.

Do You Have ‘Impact’?

I can assure you, most emphatically, that you have more impact than you realize. We all do. Tim Elmore says: “Sociologists tell us the most introverted of people will influence 10,000 others in an average lifetime.” Imagine how many people you have knowingly and unknowingly influenced in your life so far. The problem is: we feel like we don’t matter and this couldn’t be further from the truth.

Every person you come in contact with is impacted in some way. For example, if you hold the door open for someone, that has an impact. Whether or not they say “thank you” impacts you. You feel satisfaction if they acknowledge you and disgruntlement if they don’t. If you compliment a co-worker on their performance, you have has an impact on that person. If you criticize another person, you have also impacted them.

How you have conducted yourself during these interchanges will shape how you influenced that person’s response. As you can see, your impact can go in two different directions: negative or positive.

What is Impact?

Verb: /imˈpakt/ … Have a strong effect on someone or something. Synonyms: affect, influence, have an effect on, make an impression on, hit, touch, change, alter, modify, transform, shape.

We are guilty of going about our daily routines without understanding our own impact. We don’t consider whether we are making a positive difference or a negative impression. This is particularly prevalent when we are not face-to-face with others. Consider your morning commute to work in an urban area: most likely, some of that commute was negative. This is due to the fact that other drivers are not considering their impact on you.

It’s a huge shame that our impact on others is largely unconscious. We do things without considering the repercussions or even realizing that our actions and words matter. We dish out our opinions on social media in thoughtless disregard to the ripples that they cause. We take rash stances or engage in impulsive acts from a reactionary state. We have become so convinced of our own powerlessness that we don’t stop to think that what we do shapes the very world around us every single day.

Go From Powerless to Powerful

When you wake up and realize that you have more impact than you think, you also have a choice: Will you have a positive impact or a negative impact? You have a great deal of power over your environment and your influence on this world. You do not need to be famous or wealthy or write a book to be influential. You have family, friends, co-workers, peers and random people you come into contact with all the time. You also have freedom of choice.

You can choose what your impact is on others. You can choose your legacy on this earth.

Your impact and the impression you leave in this life and on others is your legacy. You have the ability to become responsible for your actions and be intentional about your path. You can be intentional about your influence and your impact. Based on what you want your environment to reflect, your influence will matter a great deal. There’s an old saying: you get what you give.

If you want to own your impact, here are some intentional steps you can take right now towards defining a better legacy:

1. Set Your Intention. Before you even get out of bed, set your focus for the day. Review what you have in front of you and determine what your perspective will be. We are in charge of our attitude, even if we aren’t looking forward to something, it doesn’t mean we have to internalize negativity. Take ownership of the energy you project immediately each day.
2. Own Your Power. Every time you allow someone else’s actions to dictate your response – you just gave your power away. Don’t allow others to pull you down with them. Whether it’s a disagreement with a loved one, irritation at traffic, or disgust at someone else’s choices – you have the freedom to chose your response. That is what being intentional is all about. You cannot control others, you can only be intentional about yourself.
3. Be The Best You. In social situations, we tend to go with the status quo – even if that doesn’t exactly jive with our core values. Stick to your guns and your values. Be the best YOU … not an attempt to be what you think someone else will accept. If you want to go from powerless to powerful, you can’t do that hiding in someone else’s shadow. Find your true voice and use it.
4. Be Aware. By developing a habit of awareness, you will become more adept in your interactions with others. Being intentional cannot happen if you are not aware and present. Do you choose your words wisely when communicating with others? Are you avoiding interactions because you don’t know what to say (or you think it doesn’t matter)? Do you heedlessly blurt out whatever is on your mind? Consider your words and actions to ensure that they deliver your true intent.
5. Reflect Daily. Before bed, take a few moments to reflect on your day. Where you intentional or reactive? Did you put your best self forward and use your true voice? Some find it helpful to keep a gratitude log or a daily diary of inspiration, action items, and notes that aid in goal achievement. Consider others reactions to your words and deeds – was it what you intended? Think about what you can improve to ensure your legacy reflects the inner you.

Choose Your Impact

Once you wake up and understand what your impact is and realize that you have more impact than you think, you can also get hung up on what other people think about you. However, your impact and your legacy are not centered around what other people think. You must live true to yourself and decide what your legacy will be.

In other words, will you be an Up-Lifter or a Downer? Every action has a reaction. You receive what energy you put forth. What will that energy be?

Most individuals drift through life with casual disregard for their impact on their environment, loved ones, friends, colleagues and random strangers, at work and at home. Are you considering the repercussions of your words, actions or inactions? If you want to create a better environment around you, start working on what you put into your environment. All true change starts inside.

Why Being Intentional Matters

Because your impact defines your reality, you either care or opt out of having an opinion. It’s like voting. If you don’t vote, you can’t complain about who got elected. If you aren’t intentional about your impact, you can’t complain about where your life takes you.

As John Maxwell says, “When you live each day with intentionality, there’s almost no limit to what you can do.” You can transform yourself to reach your goals, live your dreams and live in fulfillment. It all starts with understanding that you have an impact and owning it. Once you have taken responsibility for influencing your life, decide what type of influence you wish to be. Be the architect of your future; be intentional about your impact.

Erin Urban LSSBB, CPDC – is a member of the Forbes Coaches Council, a certified professional development coach and culture change leader with over 8 years of mentoring and coaching successful professional transformations. With an extensive background in leading individual, cultural and organizational change initiatives: her mission is to lift others up to defy their limits and exceed their goals.

Seen on besomebody.com & Forbes.com