The 7 Habits of Highly Impactful People - Habit #2: Vision

Where do you think any impact begins?

You might be thinking, action! Or planning.

It’s true, both planning and action are ingredients for impact.

But in the beginning? Impact begins with an idea. A vision.

In the last article (http://www.workalchemy.com/habits-impact-conscious-values), we started looking at the meaning of being impactful and the habits of highly impactful people. Habits you can embrace to be impactful too.

The second habit that you, Highly Impactful Person (HIP – can you just see your name tag? lol), can adopt is to have an impact vision. A vision is a high level image of the impact you want to create.

Your impact vision helps to clarify the influence you want to have in your business, your community, and the larger world.

Focusing on impact doesn’t mean you have to ignore money and making a profit. Impact and financial success go hand in hand. Businesses that focus on all the areas they have impact do 12-14 times better financially.

Ready to get a handle on your impact vision? Here are 3 ways to begin:

1. Dream Big

This is the place for dreaming big. Figuring out how you will do it comes later. First, open up to possibility, and free up your thinking. What if money, time, and resources were not an issue? What if you could do whatever you imagine here? Think about it in an unlimited and unrestricted way. That is how people expand their impact in the world.

2. Pick an Area

Next, pick an area where you want to begin to create your impact vision and start writing down the first thing that pops up in your mind about your desired impact vision. A vision is not something that you create fully formed out of the blue. It’s an evolving process. Then move through every other area of your business. Include your team, your clients, your products/services, your marketing, and your systems.

3. You Decide on the Scale

Having a big vision doesn’t mean being grandiose. Your impact vision should have a scale that is perfect for you. Not everybody wants a big company or an empire. Don’t make it bigger than what you want. Do stretch yourself so you grow, and your impact grows.

In your impact vision, you don’t have to stop at your business. How else might your values be calling you to benefit others? How do you want to show up in these areas, what contribution or positive effect do you want to have with:

• Your community: That can mean both a physical place you live and your business is, and also your online community

• The environment: Are there ways your business can be a positive influence in maintaining a healthy environment? Even small ways matter.

• Your family and friends: How do you want to show up for them? How do you want to contribute to their lives?

• The larger world: If your vision reaches farther, what impact do you want to have in other communities or even other countries?

It’s worth allowing your thinking to stroll along those lines too. When you picture the ways that your higher purpose could unfold, it makes your work even more meaningful.

Does this feel energizing? Then you go! Keep up the impact vision process, and keep returning to your vision to help you stay focused and aligned with your impact vision.

If you’re feeling a little overwhelmed right now, it’s ok! Stretching can feel so darn uncomfortable. It’s all part of the process. When you do stretch yourself to create an impact vision, you’ll find that it can carry you and help you conquer those fears and move beyond them.

Every business starts with an idea, a vision. Make your vision one that aligns with your values and how you want to contribute.