Many of us long to have an impact on the world. We want to leave our mark. We want to be remembered. We want to be known.
How do we do this? We strive to be the best in our careers, loving spouses, or great parents. We believe we’ll leave a bigger impact if we do just a little bit more.
I don’t know how big of an impact you want to leave, but I do know the average number of lives impacted per person, according to research.
80,000 Lives Impacted
Tim Elmore shared many years ago that the average person would impact over 10,000 lives. Recently, I heard that the stats were revised and that you will have an impact on over 80,000 lives.
That means you, me, and your uncle Fred have a huge impact on the world. Each of us will impact approximately 80,000 people.
Did you ever stop to think your impact would be this large? That’s a medium-sized city.
Dang… That’s a lot of people. Or so it seems.
When you break it down, throughout your life, you have to interact with only two to three people a day to influence and impact their lives.
Your reach, your impact is touching tens of thousands of lives. Your work is pouring into people far and wide.
What Will You Do With Your Impact?
I often think about my impact. What will I leave the world? Who will I have touched? Will there be a legacy left?
Without even hearing these stats, I know I am leaving an impact.
Why?
Because I invest in the lives of those around me. I pour into youth students every Wednesday night. I interact with people at my office. I am also training a new generation of leaders through this blog and mailing list.
I know what I’m doing with my impact.
Do you know what you’re doing? Who are you influencing? What kind of legacy are you leaving? Do people want to remember you?
As you realize how many people you will touch throughout your life, you begin to think about the legacy you leave. You might be remembered as the curmudgeon uncle who yelled and screamed at your nieces or nephews. You might be remembered as the teacher who took the time to talk to a young student facing a difficult breakup. Or you might be the boss who inspired a team member to become something more than they ever believed they could be.
Be someone who does something with their impact. Their influence. You weren’t put here on this earth to make things better for yourself. You were put here to make the world a better place overall.
Remember, as you influence those 2-3 people per day, you’re changing the world. It’s not only them you’re influencing. You’re impacting the lives of the people those people interact with. Your impact goes beyond the immediacy of your local network. It extends to their network and beyond.
80,000 people impacted. That’s a lifetime of people who will never be the same because of you.
Remember that.
