Dropping the First Pebble in the Water

Welcome to Leader’s Path to Impact Newsletter! Starting my LinkedIn newsletter was at the top of my to-do list for some time. I took the time to shape my ideas and prepare the rich soil to plant the seeds. When starting something new, one may find it hard to figure out where and how to start. The first step to begin is always longer than the steps that follow. There is always a process of learning, building confidence, and overcoming fears, right? Taking the bold step of issuing my first LinkedIn newsletter magnified the feeling and excitement of getting closer to what I want to create for others, my impact. Then everything unfolded.

“If you want to change the world, pick up your pen and write.” Penned once by Martin Luther, this quote inspired and connected me to the meaning of my impact. Yes, I want to change the world with the impact created through my work. So, I better pick up my pen and start to write to expand my impact and help others to design their path to clarify, create, and expand their impact through sharing and learning through insights, inspiration, and meaning.

“Shine your light and make a positive impact on the world; there is nothing so honorable as helping improve the lives of others.”―?Roy T. Bennett

So here is my monthly newsletter, Leader’s Path to Impact, which will shine a light on the leader’s path, raise the leadership bar, provide insight with meaning and inspiration. I hope to serve as a catalyst for people to become the architects of positive impact they aspire to have on the world. The mission of my newsletter is to help improve the lives of others through improving their leadership impact. I hope my newsletter will create a ripple-effect like a pebble in water. ?

Why does impact matter?

Let’s get clear on what impact means, how we can differentiate impact from outcome, and most importantly what type of impact really matters. Impact is defined as “a marked effect or influence.” This definition does not imply much unless we associate impact with meaning and purpose. Having a purpose and leading a life in pursuit of a “why” has become the subject of research. It has been concluded that a sense of purpose leads to improvement in quality of life, mentally and physically. After the “Great Resignation,” according to recent studies, having a sense of purpose ranks high in terms of professional happiness as well as feeling energized and having a sense of belonging. ?

Stanford psychologist William Damon’s definition of purpose is “a stable and generalized intention to accomplish something that is at once meaningful to the self and of consequence to the world beyond the self.” So, purpose is finding a meaningful connection to self and the world, in order to accomplish things and create an impact that can be measured by certain outcomes.

Impact is a broader term that implies long-term effects. While outcome is measured objectively with quantitative measures, impact has subjectivity in terms of the feelings and experiences of others. The term impact, therefore, embodies a story of meaning, purpose, values, influence, and change. The ultimate intention of impact I am talking about here is, as Roy T. Bennett once said, “be the positive impact on the lives of others.”

To formulate, design, and maximize our impact, we need to reverse engineer. Ayse Birsel’s book, Design the Life You Love is an inspiring step-by-step guide to building a meaningful future. We need to deconstruct and explore so that we can reconstruct and express our impact. The positive impact we expect to see in the world stems from the personal purpose we define for ourselves. The personal purpose (our why) is highly related to personal values. We find meaning and direction through personal values. The values that define us are the products of our life experiences. Our experiences are “us.” ??

“It is always our own self that we find at the end of the journey. The sooner we face that self, the better.”?– Ella Maillart

Stay tuned for the next episode tomorrow. We will continue from this place where we find ourselves.

Until next time

Thank you for joining me. Don’t forget to subscribe to my Newsletter.

Please share in the comments below what has come up for you after reading this first episode of my welcome newsletter. I hope you saw some new light on your path while connecting to insight, inspiration, and meaning.

Please also let me know about your thoughts on potential content or topics you wish to be covered by my Newsletter.

To your impact!