Brace for Impact

We often correlate bracing for impact to the end result of something intense that is about to occur. We aren't sure if we are going to make it through, but we are going to do our best to brace ourself and prepare for the situation at hand. Impactful things come in many different forms in our daily life and they aren't always scary moments, but truly impactful moments that catch us off guard. Sometimes we weren't even prepared for the impact that was made.

This past month I've sat in rooms with people that have made a great impact on my thought process and made me really think about my life and how I'm choosing to spend it. I sat accross from a person who goes every year to a village in a third world country where they have helped build a school, ran a water supply for them to have water, and is working with a crew to build a mobile unit for doctors to come in and offer services to the people. I've listened to the most impactful public speaker offer advice on how to find significance in your life. I watched his story move a room full of mostly men to the brink of tears as you could see many of them really starting to question things in their life. I had no warning to brace for the impact, but boy did I feel the jolt. It was almost like a shock wave that ran through my ears and straight to my mind where the wheels just started turning.

I began to understand that they are defining their success not by the tangible things in their life but by something we can't see. They are offering hope. The word hope is originally found in the old english language as 'hopa', which they defined as confidence in the future. When we can take what we are doing in our present time and offer someone else confidence in their future, we are making the biggest impact on their life. Offering someone something tangible offers an instant rush of thankfullness and apprecation, but eventully it wears out, or they lose it, or lose interest in it as they grow. But making a strong impact on someones life is something they never lose. They take that feeling and they carry it with them for a lifetime.

As I was pondering my own life and the impact I've had or am having on those around me, I started questioning other things going on too. What was I using to define success? Am I satsisfied with that answer? How can I make an impact on others and offer hope? Am I qualified to do that? Is it part of my purpose? In that quiet moment alone in my thougts, I decided to be honest with myself and not sugar coat any of it. No one else was listening, no one else could judge my answer and no one could tell me I was right or wrong. My answers weren't simple and in fact led to more questions, but I sat with myself and my thoughts for a while. No phone distractions, no outside noise or other people. If you've never done that, I encourage you to do so. Have a brutally open and honest conversation with yourself about where you are in your life and where you're headed and what will help you feel accomplished and successful.

I came away with the thought that offering hope and making an impact on this world is something that helps me feel accomplished. Things like sharing in conversations with someone who is going through something difficult, or offering comfort and understanding to someone who feels misunderstood and lost. I find myself feeling successful when I hear how something I've written was exactly what someone needed to hear, that it made an impact on their life.

I believe that many of us will always be searching, growing, and hoping to be the best version of ourselves. That we will continue to keep questioning our purpose and striving to be something more than we were yesterday. That we can offer hope to those around us and hold onto it ourself when we need it most. May we be the impact that changes someone's life and embrace the impact that others have on our own lives. Much like a receiver going out for a pass, they focus on the task at hand and then brace for impact, not knowing if they're going to be hurt, ran down, or score a touchdown. Just like in our own lives, we never know the outcome of what we received or how our actions and words are impacting those around us. If something moved you, use that. Take it and apply it to who you are and who you want to be. If you have the chance to offer someone hope or make an impact on their life, do it. Your journey is never ending.

Photo Credit: jonboy media