Impact
“Son, are you serious? That was in the MML two months ago. Clearly you haven’t been reading. I thought you were my BOY!”
Sean’s words to me almost every time I send him a quote I find that resonates with me. Guilty as charged! Ok, maybe I missed a day or two, but I gotta keep my boy in check like Nike...my response:
“Son, it probably got filtered into my spam folder. Check your settings, dawg. Gmail must think the MML is some kind of a Rob Hill Sr. newsletter...”
I feel very blessed and fortunate to call Sean not only a friend, but a brother. Like Dom in the Fast and Furious once said, “I ain’t got friends...I got family.” Out of this friendship has sprung many great conversations from sitting in my driveway in high school, to Kev’s kitchen, to late nights at La Cat when Sean would knock on my bedroom door and sit on the floor, to when we’d sit around the dining room table while he inhaled a bowl of (overcooked) pasta with red sauce and listen to me ramble on about how I wasn’t feelin a girl I just went out with #classic.
Of the many themes that have come up during our countless conversations, one that comes to the forefront of my mind now is impact. What is impact? Why is it important? Is it getting what you want? Is it manipulation? It is bringing about change? Is it influencing people for the better?
One thing Sean brought up to me recently is legacy. I think one’s legacy is directly correlated to the impact they make. I have told Sean a number of times that his legacy at work (just one example) will not be remembered by the number of dollars he made, the number of promotions he received, or how many transactions he conducted. More importantly, Sean will be remembered at work...and more broadly, on this Earth...by the impact he has made on people. And that impact is rooted in the MML.
One reason I brought up the anecdote in the beginning was because I realize how much impact the MML has had on me consciously and subconsciously. When I read a quote that resonates with me, the first thing I think is, “how can I apply this to my life (#convicted)?” And the second thing I think is, “I gotta send this to Sean so the world can hear it!” The MML teaches you the importance and responsibility of words. It is not just meant to make you feel good, it is meant to challenge you and to change you so that you can ultimately be a catalyst for positive change in others. Is it too far-fetched to think that the MML could help save a marriage, renew a friendship, start a new business, get your health back in order? The answer is no.
I believe God gave each one of us a platform for His glory and to reach people (and they go hand-in-hand). 2020 has proven that whether you’re a trader, a doctor, an athlete, a salesperson, a mother, a father, the voice of a podcast, or any human being, you have a platform and therefore, an obligation to reach others and make an impact on their lives. In fact, you will make an impact...whether it’s positive or negative is up to you. Why was Kobe so lauded and missed when he died? Because his impact went beyond basketball. What happened when coronavirus was spreading throughout the country? People used their platform to donate, to encourage, and to instruct. What happened when Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and Rayshard Brooks were murdered? People used their platform to stand up for something bigger than themselves and make a lasting impact.
Ok, I’ll stop here because this is starting to become a novel and Sean might have to buy more storage on his website if he posts this. But as we step into the second half of a very trying year, we all need to ask ourselves 1) What is the impact I am making? and 2) What impact has 2020 made on me?
Oh, and by the way...75% of the impact we make on people...we may never actually witness ourselves. That’s humbling.
“The thing is, you’re not competing with the other 19 people, not really. You’re competing with yourself, competing in a journey to determine how much you care about making an impact. Here’s to a powerful and productive year. Make a ruckus.” ~Seth Godin
[Written :: 2020.07.11]