Step 6: Victory is a decision long before it’s a reality.

“…Even if everyone is telling you that something wrong is something right. Even if the whole world is telling you to move, it is your duty to plant yourself like a tree, look them in the eye, and say ‘No, you move’. “

-Captain America

Self efficacy. Most of us have never heard of it before. It’s basically the understanding that whether or not you succeed in a given task is determined by your belief of whether or not you will.  Wait…..

I’ll say it again.

Whether or not you succeed in a given task is largely determined by whether or not you believe you will. 

It get’s me every time. So many people take on life deciding what will happen to them AFTER it occurs. These people are normally characterized by words like “it is what it is” or “I can’t change that” or “that’s life”.  THEY never actually decided anything, they LET life happen to them. There is a vast difference between those who own their lives and those who are owned by their life.

I can promise you, I will never be the latter. There are victims and there are heroes. And if you refuse to decide which of these will define you, life will decide for you.

Victims almost always lose. Heroes almost always win.

Nope, not always right away. Nope, not always at first. Nope, not always in the ways everyone imagines. But I can tell you that in the end, Heroes win. If by character and heart alone. Heroes win.

So what does this have to do with how to live a life of massive impact? Everything.

Impact is difficult. You not only have to care about others, you have to be willing to give it all of you. You not only have to act selflessly, but you need to have the character to be real in doing so. You not only have to want more you have to decide no matter how many people around settle for less, you won’t.

To be a person of impact means making every day an opportunity to level up. If everyday is an opportunity for more, then everyday is also a victory of attaining more. However if all you see are the challenges, you will fail.

You MUST see the victory as greater then the obstacle before you ever begin to conquer.

Without the DECISION to end the day in victory the world will break you. BIG impact isn’t common. MASSIVE impact doesn’t happen by chance. GREAT impact isn’t a random act of nature.

Impact begins and ends with the decision to live in constant victory. So at that moment when you face the daily obstacles or the life changing challenges you can look them in the eye and say “No you move”.

You’ve decided you’re strong enough.

You’ve decided you’re great enough.

You’ve decided you’re bold enough.

Step 6: Now look at the challenges, look at the daily battles, look at the war in front of you and decide. “No. YOU move.”

 

You can find the prior Superhero Chronicles post here.

 

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Step 3: The wholeness of the giver.

“I know enough to help those who cannot help themselves.” -Wonder Woman

Wonder Woman had the whole if “serving is below you then leading is above you” cliche down pat. She got it. She understood. She knew ultimately all that mattered wasn’t what she took away but what she brought to the table. So many times we look at what we are trying to gain, what our need is and we work with that as our focus….us.  What do I need to get done today? What is my goal? What do I need to accomplish for my plan? Not only is this contrary to the goal of living an impactful life, we soon find out that we have endless needs and therefore we can never be truly satisfied.

Bear in mind, I’m not saying goals are bad or you should just frolic about filling every need, everywhere, at every corner. There is a balance. More on this to come in future posts but for now just recognize what I’m saying is that there has to be a focus external of you to feel truly fulfilled. I’ve found in my own life that as long as I focus on what I will end up “taking away” from a given relationship, friendship, network, community….(and so on) I almost always come up short. More often then not I feel most fulfilled when I realize what I can BRING to the table and act from that.

What can I do to help? What skills do I have that would benefit others? What can I do to help solve the problem? How can I positively impact their life? What can I GIVE?

Suddenly, my entire perspective shifts from what I need to what I already have. There’s some psychological reason this happens I’m sure but granted I’m not a psychology major I can just say that you feel a lot more WHOLE.

 

And from this WHOLENESS so much becomes possible. Its strange to say but you actually learn about who you are because you start to realize that you have a lot to offer. After all, to give something you must first have it, right? And when giving becomes your focus there’s less time to focus on what you lack or need. Perspective is everything. In changing your mindset from one of “I need ________” to “I have _________”, you remind yourself continually that you HAVE not that you NEED. And in turn, you quite literally start to realize you are pretty whole on your own because you’ve taught yourself that there’s a lot inside you, rather than there’s a lot to fill.

If I truly want to impact the lives of those around me, it’s imperative that I come at it with a perspective of giving from wholeness. Otherwise, I will always come up short, unfulfilled and frustrated. After all impacting others isn’t about my needs, its about how I can positively leave a mark on someone else’s life. It’s not about what I gain it’s about what I give. This requires me to be pretty dang selfless, and let’s be honest that’s not easy nor do I always win that battle. To even start to impact others I must first realize that I have something to offer, and when I give it that there’s more where it came from. What I have to give becomes my power. Take it from Wonder Woman, even if you have no idea where to start “know enough to give to those who cannot give to themselves”. Trust me, lasting impact is impossible without the ability to continually be the giver.

Alright now to put all this into action…..

STEP 3: Make another list separate from the list you made for Step 1 & 2. In this new list write down all the ways you can impact with traits and talents you already possess. Ask yourself, “what do I have to give?”.

Feel free to check out the other posts from this series on building a life of impact, The Superhero Chronicles Step 1, and Step 2! More to come!

 

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