Impact

Our message today was about impact. It has me thinking. What can I do to make a greater impact on this world? There are small things like not littering. This small rule of mine ensures that none of the garbage you see on the side of the road is a result of my thoughtlessness. Another small impact might be not cussing. I'm not saying I never do but I avoid it and I think keeping my language clean keeps others around me from having to feel uncomfortable (don't you hate the f-bomb getting dropped every other word?). It sounds so vulgar- like that person has nothing else going on in their mind than that adjective. You've got the examples of keeping commitments, cleaning up after yourself, giving others a reason to smile, raising your kids to respect others, maintaining your home to enhance the neighborhood's image, the list goes on and on. We all make an impact- some are good and some are bad. If you don't have a plan, a higher calling, that impact is more likely to be bad.

But like my fav short film Bouncin' says- you can do more, you can reach great heights, in fact you can soar. You just get a leg up and ya slap it on down, and you’ll find you’re up in what’s called a bound....
And I think you can do it if you give it a try.

So what are some of the ways I'm going to improve my impact- I'm going to treat my husband more lovingly. I'm going to try to get my point across at work without getting defensive. I'm going to see serving others as an opportunity and gift rather than a "have to" type deal. I'm going to use my time more wisely. I had found myself into a good habit of not going out on my lunch break- this allowed me to keep up on paperwork, our budget, bills, correspondences, and other things that get put off if you don't have a plan. So more restraint on my part in managing my time should be my best way of improving my impact. Other than that- I really can't say. Working full time and raising two kids sort-of takes up the biggest part of my day. My goal of getting more informed on local political issues is still there- maybe in about 4 or 5 year I will more seriously commit to that.

How about you? What's your greatest impact- was it in the past, something you're doing right now, or something you plan to do in the future?