Chase Impact, Not Dollars

“Chase impact, not dollars” is something my boyfriend said to me a few months ago and it has stuck with me ever since. How many of us are ruled by the all-mighty-dollar as the ultimate prize at the end of this rat race? But then you look back over your life wondering what you have to really show for your time on this earth. Can you say you have left a legacy for the next generation and their generation? Look at Cicely Tyson or Chadwick Boseman. Yes, they were celebrities with wealth but the reason people remember them is not because they had x-amount of properties or this many dope looks, it was the way they inspired and empowered those around them. We feel the absence of their presence because of the legacy they left behind.

I sometimes let my mind wander over the various paths I could have taken had a made different choices at one junction or another. If I’d volunteered at that food bank or decided to travel cross country. What impact would those decisions have had on my life path and the life paths of others I encountered? Do you ever wonder?

Like so many of us, I’ve seen my grandparents and parents work their entire lives. I have also worked since I was 15 and see myself following a similar path as far as wanting to hold down a job but at this point, I’m asking myself am I chasing the dollar or chasing impact? I’ve started doing some things that I believe bring impact to others and fulfill me, outside of my 9-to-5. Like this blog, MG Live, my t-shirt brand—MDGTs, as well as some exciting news on the horizon [stay tuned for that!].

When you chase dollars these things are certain:

1. you will earn a little money to sustain yourself+family (depending on your location’s cost of living)
2. you will always work for someone else’s bottom line;
3. you will always be expendable;
4. you bind yourself to financially motivated decisions; and
5. you will limit your mindset.

When you chase impact these things are certain:

1. you will leave a legacy;
2. you will change someone else’s life;
3. you will feel a sense of fulfillment;
4. you will broaden your perspective; and
5. you will encounter your purpose.

This is not to demean anyone’s profession or work ethic. What I propose is a mind shift. The work you do to provide for your family should be fulfilling, it should not merely be a check on the chore list to get your allowance that week. I hear you, “I gotta do what I gotta do”, and you do! But while you’re doing that part, can you think of a way to influence your co-workers, your manager, your family, your friends, or your community?

You’re not a tumbleweed rolling whichever way the wind blows you. You have the God-given ability to strategize and think and move and create impact!