Who determines your impact?

If you have been following along, you may know I am currently at the tail end of writing my first book, Work That’s Worth It. Since I am not historically a writer, I have humbly learned that “being creative” is not an efficient process at all. For better or worse, I have been on a journey to bring this concept to life for two years already.

The valuable part about it taking this long to write a book on the potential impact of meaningful careers is that I have engaged in many conversations about what I am working on, so inevitably, my book surfaces as a topic of interest. During one of these conversations, a thoughtful friend asked me with the utmost curiosity, “So WHO determines your impact?” I.e. Whether your work is “worth” it. That question got me thinking. I decided I needed to have a worthwhile answer.

I briefly entertained the thought: is my book on purposeful employment and career fulfillment going to help people determine worthiness? Meaning, am I willing to be the “Worthwhile-Careers-Patrol”? I could immediately answer this with a resounding NO. I don’t want my career hours going toward policing good from bad or giving you a thumbs up or down. Even if it was something I was willing to take on, I only hold my own values, life experiences, and perspectives—so it was not something I could do anyway. Great, that was clear to me. But that still left me with the question of WHO determines what is “worth it” in a career setting.

I am the kind of person who poses philosophical questions to myself at night. I surrender it to my subconscious, hoping for the answer to “effortlessly” appear after a few productive hours of sleep. I like to draw upon my deepest wisdom stored safely in my “roots”. What kept surfacing was my belief that people are inherently good and desire a career that’s worth it.

Margaret Renkl recently delivered a heartwarming graduation speech, at The University of the South that went viral. In it, she said: “As you leave for the rest of your life, you will be prepared for whatever challenges may come your way if you remember only two things: The world is beautiful. People are good. And remembering that will help you remember how good you are, and how much good you can do, too.” Beautifully said Margaret, and I could not agree more. I know that humans are capable of horrific things, but I truly believe that we all have the capacity for good. This capacity for good has the potential to translate into finding your “worthwhile” and impactful pathway. Worth it for your career and worth it for the world.

Holding this in my heart helped me conclude that we are each capable and best positioned to determine the positive impact we have on the world ourselves. My job is to keep me, Georgi, on track. Your job is to take responsibility not only for your career fulfillment but also how you contribute positively to the world. It’s a powerful self-evolution and a great opportunity to express your overall impact.

Achieving that is an evolution that I know is worthwhile, and honestly, necessary for our future. My book helps you in finding your pathway to express YOUR own personal “worth it” work. It’s more than just finding a rewarding career. It’s about finding purposeful employment that does good for you AND the planet. I wish I could have given this to myself in the early stage of my career, but at least I can give it to you.

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