At Your BestSample

Impact

When Jesus was on earth, he wasn’t the kind of Messiah that people had been expecting. Even John the Baptist began to have doubts about him. So Jesus directed John’s attention to the miraculous things he was accomplishing. If Jesus were doing things like these, how could he not be sent from God, and how could he not be doing the things he’d been called to? 

Of course, none of us is the Messiah, yet there can be a similar dynamic at work in our lives. By doing what we’re best at, we’re able to leverage our time for the biggest impact. Impact refers to those things that, when done, will make the biggest difference, sometimes at the moment but often long term. Imagine what might have happened if Jesus became distracted from his mission. But, of course, he never wavered. Not once.

So, in your life, how do you determine impact? Often we make meaningful contributions at work and at home. At work,  ask yourself what the highest-value tasks are that your employer pays you to accomplish. What are your core responsibilities? What are your overriding goals? 

At work, maybe you desperately need the next quarter to be a growth quarter, or you want to care for your team members more holistically, or you realize that aligning your team around the mission and objectives would really move your organization forward. Perhaps you sense that your most important clients need better nurturing, that it’s time to craft a vision talk, or that you’ve simply got to get the rebranding done or the new office opened or the strategic plan completed. Instinctively you sense that there are a few things that, when done, will move the needle more than other things. 

So, the question becomes, How can you leverage your gifting and passion to make progress on these most important things during your most productive hours? 

Then, when it comes to determining what has the greatest impact personally, you can begin with this question: What am I trying to accomplish with my life, my family, my faith? 

Example: As a parent, you might realize that quality time with your kids is what they need right now. Or maybe it’s the opposite. Because you’ve had soooo much time with the kids, you need time away with a healthy dose of adult conversation or morning all to yourself so you don’t turn on your kids. Or maybe you’ve been neglecting your time with God, and you know that when you get that back, everything will get better.

Again, when you devote your most productive time to these important personal goals, you’ll see far better results than if you were to pursue them in your non-optimal time. 

Through prayer and self-awareness, you get to determine what impact means for you, regardless of whether others fully understand it or not. Doing what you’re best at when you’re at your best is how you achieve that impact.

What are the most impactful things you can focus on at work? What about at home?