It can be kind of scary to pick just one way to make our positive impact in the world. When we pick one thing, we are choosing to not pick some other options. At our Life Impact Academy last weekend we helped participants connect with their passions and ultimately pick one of them to use to make their own unique, positive and focused impact. At one point, one of the participants turned to me and exclaimed, “i have to pick ONE?”
My heart went out to her. I could relate. I’ve been there. There is more than one thing I’m passionate about, but I can’t do it all. If I’m going to be effective at anything, I have to be focused and pick one.
I never really talk about it, but I have a dream of moving to east Oakland and working with the people there to build an awesome and robust community. I envision the contribution they could make to society as being huge because I see the potential in those individuals. It’s part of my “restorative” strength to see the potential in people. It’d be a big, scary, stretchy thing to do. Realistically, though, I’m not at a good place in my life to go there and attempt that kind of impact right now. I’m still raising my own kids. I figure it’s not a good fit for me right now, but I still feel passionate about the potential there.
I also feel passionate about our country’s agricultural practices, the quality of our food and the consequences of the”Standard American Diet” on our nation’s health. I believe we could get rid of a lot of devastating disease in people’s lives if we changed how we eat and how we grow our food.
But that’s not all. If you know my story at all, I’m also very passionate about preventing child sexual abuse. My passion there extends to sex trafficking, too. These things truly break my heart.
Related to my experience of sexual abuse, I’ve become very passionate about making people aware of how people are impacting other people. That’s what I do in Simply Great Lives. I choose to act on this passion because it is in alignment with John’s passion to help people love people well an make their lives matter. It’s something I’m very passionate about and it fits my life well right now.
In my work at Simply Great Lives, I am empowering people to go out and make their own positive difference. Just this weekend, one of the participants chose preventing sexual abuse as her one passion she will pursue. I am delighted because it’s something I, to, am very passionate about, but not what I picked to take action on. So, naturally, I am stoked that someone else is taking up that torch and running with it. It feels good, because it’s important and someone needs to do it. However, just because something needs to be done, I don’t have to be the person to do it.
We encourage you to pick your one thing you’re passionate about and want to change. Run with it and let it be your one thing. And encourage other people to find their one thing where they want to make a difference, too. Together, we will bring about amazing and beautiful change!
