What's Your Opportunity MoJo? Part 4 - Impact!

We've looked at 2 of the three components in helping you decide if "this opportunity's right for you". So, let's look at the third - impact.

First, you are probably wondering "what do you mean by impact?" Great question. This is really an "eye of the beholder" characteristic - YOU need to define what you mean when you think impact.

For example, does "making an impact" mean to you:

• Influencing a person
• Changing a system
• Becoming recognized or remembered for something

Once you pinpoint the number one "what" it is you want to impact, you then need to further define "what" is, such as

• What is it that you want to do to make that impact?
• Is there a target domain/audience?
• What do you want the end results to be?

For example, for a long time I've personally wanted "impact" throughout my lifetime "education". That's a bit too broad to really feel a sense of impact and accomplishment. So I've had to peel back the onion over the years and ask

• Is it the "system" I want to impact, or the "people" in the system?
• Is there a particular domain of education I am more interested in changing then others?

I've finally honed in on 2 areas for impact

• Making the educational process more efficient and effective (which I am lucky to do at the day job)
• Helping motivate girls to get educated so to open their eyes to the world ahead of them (which is part of side projects I work on)

I'm cheating a bit as I have 2 impact areas (remember, overachiever here), but these are at least well defined reference points I have to help determine if the next opportunity that comes my way is something I want to jump on, or not.

What do you want to impact today, tomorrow and in the future?

PS - Small things do matter. Read The Tipping Point on how little things can make a big difference.

Is Your Glass Half Full, or, Half Empty?

I don't know about you, but there are days where everything seems to be half empty, or more like, everything I respond to I react with a "half empty" response vs. a "half full" response, like:

"Why did you do this?"
"What were you thinking?"
"Do you not appreciate what I do?"

There could be other matters at hand causing you to not be yourself (bad situation at home, lack of sleep, biological factors). So, how do you get yourself out of the "Half Empty" response mode so to focus on always being "Half Full" (if not completely full!):

1. Run away. Literally. Stop looking at your email, or the office desk, and run out of the office. Go ON a run - at the gym, around the block - do something. If you are at an office where face time is precious, then go run to a coffee break or do something to get your mind off of work for 10-15 minutes.

2. Don't react to anything for the rest of the day. Most like you need to sleep on how you should decide on some issues. You potentially woke up on the wrong side of the bed and just need to give it another day of rest before reacting. Don't let others know the bed gotchya.

3. Do something productive to check a task off your list. Accomplish something to make you feel good for the rest of the day.

4. Run away from others that get "fired up" like you do. A snow ball is waiting to happen - avoid it at all costs.

And remember...

"You have to be positive every single day. You have to put effort into it daily, because no one else is going to do it for you." Donald Trump