Impact, Meaning, & Purpose - Are they different?
Hands holding a growing plant.
Impact is a marked effect or influence. Meaning is the significance of that. Purpose is the reason for doing that thing in the first place. So all three, although from the same family of thought, are actually very different. However, they all are fundamental in interacting, understanding, and justifying our actions in any given environment.
We hear a lot about having a positive impact. Without meaning, impact is an inactive term. Without any purpose, everything is meaningless. However, when all three of these concepts are achieved together, we build a healthier, more equitable version of our goal. They are the stepping stones to purposeful growth and building a fair and successful company and environment.
What are the Differences Between Impact, Meaning, and Purpose
Impact
We might hear the word “Impact” often in life and around the workplace. Impact is the impression of one thing on another, usually with a very significant after effect on it. Today, Impact investing is at an all-time high. These investments are made to generate positivity while measuring social and environmental impact alongside a healthy financial streak.
The working class has become adamant about wanting measurable and immediate impact from their careers, purchases, and investments. It is a part of a quickly growing workplace responsibility trend surrounding business activities.
More than ever before, people are connecting with their personal impact. Impact implies change, and one would want to strive to have a positive one. These effects can be social, cultural, economic, institutional, environmental, and even technological. Board members, investors, managers, and employees alike are now asking for proof of positive impact. To help weigh how much their money, energy, and time promote these changes.
Without this evidence, impact doesn’t mean too much in the long run. Understanding it is the foundation of progress and further development, businesses or organizations can achieve this through conscious and deliberate effort in their daily operations.
Get Impactful can help you get to where you want to be in life. Contact them today.
Meaning
There is so much importance in meaning and having a worthwhile purpose in doing something. Impact, unfortunately, means very little without the meaning. Meaning is the significance of any action. For example, what kind of purpose does the things we do serve?
Most living things work extremely hard to contribute to something bigger than themselves. From bees in the hive to ants in their colonies, they are coming together for one true purpose to finish a common goal. Doing steps and actions without meaning will likely cause someone never to reach their full potential. Furthermore, you will never get to your goal. One must find the meaning of their impact.
The more that someone is aware of that meaning, the more likely they will perform the tasks and come out victorious in the end. Efficiently meeting goals head-on, and in some cases exceeding them. When something becomes more meaningful to a person, they become more engaged with the process.
An entire team or business can become united and enthusiastic behind that same idea. It is crucial to find value in your everyday activities, especially at work. An average employee spends 40 or more hours working every week in the United States alone.
Finding that purpose beyond the paycheck is key in feeling purpose at your job. Truly feeling a part of something is essential. Furthermore, allowing someone to gain all the positivity and energy needed to get the job done. Not only will the job be done, but it will be done well and with future gain.
A computer screen that is tracking company goals.
Purpose
Knowing and understanding the goal that we strive for with our daily advancements. When your job has meaning, it gives you a strong passion for success. You are the vehicle, and that passion is a smooth road that leads straight to your destination, purpose.
Purpose is the ultimate objective or intention and reason for doing anything, and the strategy behind an idea and goal to be attained.
Most products come with some form of purpose statement on the labels. As single humans sharing life on a giant planet, it is inherent in us to contribute to a common purpose, one outside ourselves. Our purchases and jobs are so interlaced with our individual identity, and we have high hopes for the companies we work for and the businesses we patron.
Furthermore, we want to have that common purpose with them. Studies have shown that when the employee and the company share the same purpose and have a clear goal, all things perform better financially and in many other beneficial ways. This benefits both parties and brings a sense of well-being to the person or persons involved.
How to Reach Your Full Potential
Full potential isn’t a destination. It is the path which we take to get there. It is part of a journey that takes courage, patience, self-awareness, and hard work.
Some tips on putting your best self forward are :
Develop a positive mindset to help you grow
Action and reflection can build momentum
Focus on what is important
Manage your time wisely
Take small steps to achieve big goals
Don’t overcomplicate things
Share a common clear goal with your team
Practice discipline
Don’t allow failure or issues to stop you
Take time to rest
Practice leadership and collaboration
Log and feel confident of your progress
A group of people working together to reach their purpose.
Conclusion
Impact, meaning, and purpose. You need all three of these very different aspects to reach your full potential.
For example, you put on your new running shoes and head out on a morning jog in the woods. The impact might include the rush you get when the endorphins kick in, and the wind hits your face. It could be the fat you burn as you repeatedly circle the path or the fact that you are pleasantly distracted from the outside world for a few minutes.
You then find that jogging has meaning. You feel better daily, you are more social with others, and your health has improved exponentially. With meaning, you are inspired and seek purpose. You could start a fitness club so that you and others can promote health and wellness.
The purpose is to heal ourselves while also making others feel better. Taking the time to make these mindful connections between impact, meaning, and purpose provides tons of needed motivation and unity.
Get ready to add Impact, Meaning, and Purpose into your life with Get Impactful. Contact them today.
