If I'm going to spend the time doing it anyway, I might as well do it with impact

Reflect on your day. Was it a forgettable day like so many prior? Sometimes when I watch the sun start to set I look at the glow in the sky and I think “I’ll never see this sun set again, and this day will be gone forever”.

Time is fleeting. Whether we spend it on something purposeful or simply go through the motions until the days are over—it’s the same for all of us.

I feel there are three ways that you can spend your time.

1. In a mindless passing—you know, the usual habitual routine of eat, sleep, work, repeat.
2. In a seed sowing state—where you invest in something that will come to fruit at a later stage. This could be something as simple as learning something new, establishing a new habit, or investing in your career that will pay off one day.
3. Actively creating impact—this is where you use your skills and knowledge to do something that has a lasting effect

Every so often I find myself mentoring. Usually it’s to help them solve a problem, get unstuck, or think about what they want for their future. But there’s one thing I like to keep enforcing when I talk. Life is boring when you do what’s logical.

In a recent session I said the words “if I’m going to spend the time doing it anyway, I might as well do it with impact”. And I truly believe it. Life is short, fleeting, and there’s so much out there to achieve—and not the “I’ve made a load of money” type of achievement, but more like “life is better when you hear the music”.

There’s another way to consider this. When you engage with other people, strive to be someone who is a force multiplier, not a force subtractor. Leave people with more energy than what they started with. There’s something joyous about giving people this gift. It’s also a great habit for being someone who opens the doors for opportunity—the kind of opportunity that when it strikes, it’ll have a lot of impact.