IMPACT…

It’s something we all want. We want impact in our lives. We want to make an impact with our lives. Impact is something we can all pursue when we personally engage in the life we have been given and the opportunities God has orchestrated and is presenting to us every day. But, it takes action on our part, and you have a choice about if and how you want to participate.

Some people choose not to participate and make life about them versus about others, and their impact is non-existent or shallow in terms of their reach. Some people pursue making an impact, but the object of their impact is about themselves leading to decisions and choices that are intended to make them the main character of the story and the main object of the glory. Others make an impact with their lives but leave a negative stain on their legacy and the lives of the people within their sphere of influence. You see, impact can be positive, but it can also be negative.

After prayer and reflection, the one word God has given me for 2024 is: IMPACT. This is a word that was spoken into my life over the last couple of months, and I believe God gave this word to my close friend and mentor to speak into my life. To me, the word impact is not just a great or motivational word that has no depth; it is a word that provides a tremendous foundation for everything I do and for the person I am becoming. And it should permeate every aspect of my life and not just be confined to one area of my life like my personal life. I want to make a positive impact in all of the roles in life that God has given to me. I want to steward and shepherd the messages, opportunities, and moments to bring His principles to the sphere of influence He brings to me. When I think about the word IMPACT, I think about these 5 things:

• Impact helps me identify and connect to my purpose. It informs me that purpose is not my job or the roles I play in life. Those things are mere expressions and assignments that God has given me to unveil a bigger purpose and greater story. Connecting to my “Why” makes the “What” and the “How” so much more intentional.
• Impact informs my decisions. It helps remind me to make the most of the minutes, hours, days, and moments that I have been given and to choose to make wise decisions not with how to spend that time, but how I invest it.
• Impact connects me to the One who has called me. It reminds me that it is God who wants to make an impact in people’s lives, and He wants to do it through me as well as through you. When I connect to the One who called me, it helps me stay on point with His message, and it takes all of the pressure off from trying to “perform” or tie my identity to an outcome or validation and acceptance from others.
• Impact inspires me to pursue God’s best in my life. This word helps me to wake up every day with excellence in mind – His excellence – constantly and consistently seeking to do my best with the opportunities I have been given whether it be speaking to a team or business, providing mental game coaching to an athlete, or being a husband and father to my wife and family.
• Impact reorients me to the main character of the Eternal Story. As I have thought about this word, I want to make my life about Him and not me. In the ongoing and eternal story of God, my life is only a brief moment in time, and I want to make the moments I have been given count for what matters most. I want the number of breaths I have to be about Jesus and the hope, peace, and life He can give to a hurting and broken world.

All of us have an opportunity to make a positive impact…with our choices, with our words, and with our actions. As you begin this new year, think and pray about what your one word will be for this year. And while it may not be the word I have chosen – IMPACT – may it be a word that inspires you to move forward making a positive impact with your life and making the most of your moments.