Leading with Purpose: Making a Lasting Impact Beyond Numbers

If you are a leader driven by numbers or results, looking for the short-term gratification of how the sales close at the end of the month or the quarter, you may ask yourself how to make this sustainable.

How often do we think it is okay to postpone things that we consider important but delay them because we know we will not see any result in a short time? How many times, conscious or not, are we looking for short-term recognition or self-accomplishment, like not having emails to respond to in our inbox? In the fast-paced world of leadership, it's easy to get caught up in immediate satisfaction.

How many times do we live our days in automatic, running from one meeting to another, leaving no time for reflection, and without wondering what it is for?

Pause for a moment; what are the most important things in your life?

As a leader, you have an extremely important responsibility —how you support and develop your people. As a leader, you have the responsibility to decide how you want to impact them.

As a leader, you lead by example. If you’re not encouraging your team to prioritize, to take care of themselves or their family, and you’re not showing them that you are doing it too, I would invite you to reflect on what are really the most important things in your life.

 Everyone has the power to decide. To make choices.

Take the time to reflect on what's in the influence that you are creating around you. Your family, kids, friends, colleagues, and reports are seeing you. As a leader, integrity is one of the most important values. Be coherent with what you say and what you do. How you treat people, how much you care about others, and the time you prioritize with your family are only reflections of who you are.

How to Stay Ahead in 2024?

Many articles are starting to appear, presenting predictions and trending initiatives that you should follow if you want to stay ahead. These articles seem like recipes, outlining actions you must take to avoid falling behind, and the recommendation is to start right away. Competition is intense, and information is everywhere, detailing the most advantageous practices that leading companies are putting in place.

A not-so-minor question arises: ahead of what? Following what's trendy and copying other companies' journeys can propel you further, but in the wrong direction.

If you do what everyone else does, you’ll get the same results that everyone else gets. Best practices aren’t always the best. By definition, they’re average.
— Shane Parrish.

Let's go back to basics. What problem do you want to solve?

You have plenty of resources and information. However, instead of looking at what other companies are doing, you should turn to your customers, employees, and team. What problem do you need to solve, and how do you want to solve it?

Every organization and employee is unique, and there is no one-size-fits-all. There's no recipe. Take the time to talk with the people you are working with and determine what may be the best for your organization.

New Year Plan 2024

Planning the New Year has become like a tradition to create a space for reflection, review our dreams, and set next year's goals, with the promise that the upcoming year will be different.

I personally believe that every day is a new start. When we walk with consistency in the path of our deepest goals, we have the opportunity to get closer to the person we want to be.

Over the years, I've collected incredible processes and articles that have helped me to reflect, stay on track with my goals, and get awareness of how I am setting and focusing my best energy.

Here are a couple of my favorite go-to resources:

1. Antifragile Planning by Taylor Pearson.
   This meaningful and practical process allows you to reflect on the things that you want to accomplish, and you need to focus but add the component of optionality.

2. Reflect on the Past, Clarify the Future, by Conor Neil
   A set of questions to reflect on the past year that might help clarify how to make changes in your approach to the coming year.

As part of this reflection process, I started a daily journaling practice. Journaling has helped me to get clarity on what I really want and how to get there. With that experience, I developed my own journal with the best practices I found. You can get it for free here.

We have the opportunity to make each day count, focus on what really matters, and make this year our best one yet!

Every Day Matters

Every day is an opportunity to create our masterpiece, like a new canvas waiting for us to share what we can create, inspire others, and contribute with what we have learned.

Every day offers us a new opportunity to grow, embrace new challenges, and seek to experiment. Every day, we have the opportunity to connect, build meaningful relationships, express our gratitude, and truly care.

Your story matters, and the world is waiting to be inspired by it.

The Path to Transcendent Leadership

I’ve learned that self-knowledge is one of the key areas to develop for people to be able to lead successfully their professional, personal, and family lives. It involves understanding what motivates them in life.

The more self-knowledge I have, the easier it is to discover my vocation, my calling, or my purpose (or whatever you want to call it). When we realize that we are unique and unrepeatable, we understand that what we put on the table is unique, that our capacity and our heart are worth it, and we have the power to use it to add value, improve things, and serve others.

To know ourselves, we need to know about our aptitudes (abilities and skills), our attitudes, and our drivers. Nuria Chinchilla, Professor of Managing People in Organizations at IESE Business School, proposed an excellent framework for this discovery process.

You can use this discovery process from outside to inside as if you were peeling an onion.

1. Interpersonal competencies are about how I work in a team, how I listen, and how I communicate. Even how I coach my friends or how I delegate.

2. Intrapersonal competencies are related to how I manage myself: if I am capable of self-criticism, managing my time well, and managing stress well. If I am sufficiently proactive and have enough initiative.

3. Meta-competences, also known as virtues, are at the core of everything. These are the positive habits that lead us to success. For example, prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance (emotional intelligence) are the four cardinal virtues.

What is really important in this process are self-knowledge, self-management, and our drivers. Self-management is about what I'm doing to build my character and is needed to act accordingly. Our drivers can be extrinsic, intrinsic, or transcendent.

As a reflection, I believe that as leaders, we must not only help people develop their competencies but also identify what their drivers are. We should also help them improve their motivation so they become a better person. Help them so that they are not only driven by extrinsic or intrinsic motivation but to create a positive impact on others—transcendent motivation.

The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.
― Mahatma Gandhi

Do the Verb, Forget the Noun

Forget about the things that you are trying to accomplish (noun) and focus on the real work that you need to be doing (verb).

“Forget about being a Writer,” says novelist Ann Packer. “Follow the impulse to write.”

Austin Kleon wrote, "So many people think you have to first call yourself an artist, know who you are and what you’re about, and then you can start making art. No, no, no. You do the stuff first, then you can worry about what it is, who you are. The important thing is the practice. The doing. The verb."

Whatever you want to accomplish, you need to put the work first; you need to practice, focus on the actions, and be the verb. The noun will follow.

Focus on the verb will provide you with a clear action path of what you have to do; if you want to be a writer, write; if you want to be a great leader, be one.

We are the verb. Our actions define us.

In Memory of Charlie Munger

In memory of one of the most brilliant minds, Charlie Munger, who inspired and influenced so many people with his wisdom, including myself. Generous in sharing his learnings, Charlie Munger educated us about character, sense of humor, judgment, criteria, investing, and more. He passed away on November 28 at the age of 99.

Here are ten of the thousands of quotes we can share from this savvy man.

1. "The best thing a human being can do is to help another human being know more."

2. "In my whole life, I have known no wise people who didn't read all the time - none, zero."

3. "It's not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change."

4. "I constantly see people rise in life who are not the smartest, sometimes not even the most diligent, but they are learning machines. They go to bed every night a little wiser than they were when they got up, and boy, does that help, particularly when you have a long run ahead of you."

5. "The game of life is the game of everlasting learning. At least it is if you want to win."

6. "You need a different checklist and different mental models for different companies. I can never make it easy by saying, 'Here are three things.' You have to derive it yourself to ingrain it in your head for the rest of your life."

7. "The big money is not in the buying and selling, but in the waiting."

8. "It is remarkable how much long-term advantage people like us have gotten by trying to be consistently not stupid instead of trying to be very intelligent."

9. "All I want to know is where I'm going to die, so I'll never go there."

10. “To get what you want, deserve what you want. Trust, success, and admiration are earned. It’s such a simple idea. It’s the golden rule, so to speak: You want to deliver to the world what you would buy if you were on the other end.”

Note: The quotes are paraphrased for brevity and clarity.

Prevent Team Burnout

The World Health Organization has identified burnout as chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.

Three dimensions characterize burnout:

• Feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion.

• Increased mental distance from one’s job or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one's job.

• Reduced professional efficacy means essentially not feeling like we're good in our roles or we don't have the resources to do our jobs.

Unsustainable workloads have always been, and continue to be, the leading cause of burnout. We have this idea that more hours of work equals getting more work done. This is such an unfortunate myth. The truth is that working more than 10 hours a day is associated with a 60% jump in risk of cardiovascular issues, and working more than 40 hours a week is associated with unhealthy weight gain in men and depression in women. Plus, science has proven that very little productive work actually occurs after 50 hours per week. Those who work 60 hours per week have a 23% higher risk of injury.

So, how do you spot the signs that your team may have unsustainable workloads? We need to check if employees are struggling to disconnect.

Our job as leaders is to monitor overwork and advocate for our leadership team to have more space, time, and support so that they can achieve their goals sustainably.

According to Jennifer Moss, an award-winning journalist and author of the book The Burnout Epidemic, there are six root causes of burnout:

1. Overwork. Overwork is defined as working too hard, too much, for too long, or all of the above. Unsustainable workloads have always been, and continue to be, the leading cause of burnout.

2. Lack of Control. It can show up when we feel an inability to influence decisions that affect our jobs, like our schedule, which assignments we get to work on, our workload, and the resources we have access to.

3. Lack of Rewards for Effort. We see persistent pay gaps across the global workforce, and not only is it unfair, but it leads to burnout. When someone on our team feels underpaid, it doubles the probability that they will report experiencing stress, depression, and problems with emotions on a majority of days in any given month. Underpayment increases complaints of headaches, stomach, back, and chest pain. All of this affects sleep quality. Underpayment also hurts because it amplifies other stresses, such as interpersonal conflict and having too much work and not enough time to focus on simply enjoying life.

4. Lack of Community. When we have healthy, productive workplace relationships, it offers huge benefits. According to Gallup, having a best friend at work makes us 43% more likely to receive praise, 27% more likely to feel like we can speak up, which promotes psychological safety. And our burnout is reduced by 41%.

5. Lack of Fairness. Fairness at work, or organizational justice, is a key element in preventing burnout. When there's a lack of fairness, it reduces morale, and several studies have found that it can actually cause depression. A truly fair workplace requires trust, openness, and respect. If any of these three key elements are missing, it will contribute directly to burnout.

6. Value-Skill Mismatch. Hiring someone whose values and goals do not align with the values and goals of the organization's culture has negative consequences for the individual and the company. They include increased physical and mental exhaustion and stress, low morale within the team, lack of motivation, low productivity or unsatisfactory work, increased costs for hiring and training, and higher turnover.

Here are four strategies for burnout prevention:

1. Active listening for burnout signals: As a leader, Dr. Martha Bird believes that by practicing empathetic listening, we can learn so much about our people, their history, their fears, their motivators, and their joys, and we can only get there by sharing stories and listening with interest and then passing on those stories. Dr. Bird says that we need to be professional eavesdroppers. Keeping non-work-related check-ins is a good practice. The frequency could vary from person to person; someone may need weekly meetings, and monthly will be fine for others.

2. Manage Team Workload. We just have to press pause, assess which habits are worth keeping, and identify the ones that need to stop. Look at priority alignment and ensure you and your team are on the same page. Make agreements about what is urgent and the time to answer that you expect. Make sure everyone is working on their number one priority objectives.

3. Encourage your Team to Speak up. Invite people to the table and encourage them to speak up. In healthy and innovative cultures, different opinions are celebrated. Amy Edmondson, Professor at Harvard Business School, says, "Psychological safety refers to a climate in which people are comfortable being and expressing themselves."

4. Lead by example. Great managers love to lead, and the best way to do so is by example. If we really care about preventing burnout, we need to be models of self-care.

Addressing and preventing burnout in the workplace is imperative for maintaining a healthy and productive team. Paying attention to signs of burnout, like too much work and feeling not appreciated, and taking action, is key.

We all have the opportunity as leaders to make a real impact in people's lives. We can show genuine interest, empathy, and compassion, and be open to sharing that we want to improve. Even if we make mistakes, we can learn from them and improve as a team. When we show genuine care, we make all the difference.

Write the History of Your Life

I recently had the opportunity to hear Santiago Álvarez de Mon, Professor of the Managing People in Organizations Department at IESE, talk about leadership.

Here are some reflections about how we can become the best version of ourselves:

• We are all humans in process. It's crucial to remember that we're not perfect, but we can get better. Yes, it takes effort and discipline to learn, build our character, and have strong values to do good for everyone. Our character is like a muscle; we need to work on it, be consistent, and take time to think about whether we're doing things right. Álvarez de Mon said that we should ask ourselves questions, be quiet sometimes, and appreciate things with humility and gratitude.

• We need moments to reflect. Why should we ask ourselves personal questions when we talk about leadership? It's about being coherent in values and actions. People can't give what they don't have, and being a leader is about serving, not about having power. Power and authority are different things.

• Leadership is about serving others. Think about this: What kind of impact do you have on others? Leadership is not about you; it's about how you impact the people around you. Do they feel safe, confident, eager to learn, responsible, amazed, and good about themselves because of your leadership? True leadership is about others.

Leadership is a decision and what actions you're taking to be a better person and a better leader. How you are forging your character so you can stay calm in tough times, be fair under pressure, act consistently in complex situations, and be courageous when things are unfair.

Have you ever thought about the kind of person you want to be?

Satya Nadella on Flexible Work

This interview from two years ago- is still relevant in so many topics, especially on how people have new expectations about work.

It's not only about when, where, and how to work but also why they work and what's the real meaning of work.

HR Priorities in 2024

One of the greatest abilities of leaders is to see around the corners —to see what's coming next— and to get prepared for it.

Now that it seems that changes occur faster than ever, this requires that we not only prepare but act.

These changes require us to use our ability to adapt with agility and an open mind to see the opportunity that could give us leverage and allow us to be more competitive.

We are in a moment when we need to embrace multiple paradoxes, and they require us to find the balance between business needs and employee expectations.

People are at the center of many strategies. And certainly, when we talk about organizations that have strong foundations of trust, respect, and people relations, you are moving your organization to a higher level.

Diane Gherson, one of the greatest thinkers about the future role of HR, says that we need to more intentionally and systemically redefine the relationship between workers and organizations. New work models, new business requirements, and new employee expectations are coming together at full speed, putting at risk our status quo arrangements in the organization—and even the role and scope of HR. 

What would be your HR organizational strategies to achieve a competitive advantage?

Gartner identified, as HR's number one priority, the development of leaders and managers who are overwhelmed by the growth of their job responsibilities. In most cases, it's not that they are not equipped for change, but they will need to define new role expectations and simplify processes to make the workload sustainable. In simple words, define what are the things that they are not going to do: What are the trade-off. The lack of focus on this will result in a negative impact on the well-being of the employees, an increase in burnout, and turnover.

Mercer highlighted the importance of fostering a digital mindset within the organization. "In the face of rapid technological change, it's essential to not only adapt but to lead the way."

The decisions HR leaders make today can impact their organization’s business outcomes and brand for years to come. The most common concerns that we are all hearing are:

1. Organizational Culture.

2. Embracing AI.

3. Change Management.

4. Career Management and Internal Mobility.

5. Flexible work (where and when). Align to hybrid and remote work.

6. Mental health and well-being.

7. Upskilling and reskilling.

8. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Work in psychological safety and increase the sense of belonging.

Most people's strategies required us to be more intentional in our proposals. There is a clear opportunity to embrace the changes and move ahead. However, the most brilliant strategy will get you nowhere if you don't have a culture that supports it.

 The most immediate action that you could start is to understand your organizational challenges (internal and external). Increase your people connections and moments that matter. Listen to your team. Learn. Identify what's working well and what opportunities you need to address. And take action on initial solutions.

What’s the antidote to fear?

When I was in my twenties, a friend asked me if I could join him to do bungee jumping. At that time, I liked to practice different extreme sports, but I was not particularly interested in that one. However, at the last moment, I decided to join him.

I got up very early in the morning, and with a group of people who had also signed up for bungee jumping, we initiated our adventure to Autisha.

It took approximately 2 hours and a half to get to Autisha Bridge, which is located in Autisha Canyon, in Santa Eulalia Valley (73 km east of Lima, Peru). The free fall was 20 meters, and you remained suspended 140 meters above the ground.

All the way, people were sharing stories, and fear started to surround the group. It was the first time for the whole group and a group of journalists were joining us to share the history.

When we arrived, I was relatively calm, listening to the instructions and not knowing what it was that I didn't know.

People started to prepare, putting on their harnesses and helmets and checking all the safety systems. We had great weather, and everything was exciting. Without noticing, it was my turn. I still wasn't nervous, so without much hesitation and a smile, I jumped.

It was probably one of the worst feelings in my life. Suddenly, I was falling; I had a stomach-lurching sensation. I saw the rocks, the river, and a thousand images and questions passed through my head... you felt like nothing was holding you down... you're just falling. I was afraid.

From that experience, I can recall many learnings. My point of view of practicing extreme sports switched. But that wasn’t the biggest shift.

I wondered, What is it for? What was the purpose? Was it worth it? My world perspective changed.

Yes, it was worth it, not because of the adventure, but because it helped me question myself, look at my life from another perspective, and ask myself the meaning that I was pursuing.

My life perspective and meaning changed.

The antidote for fear is courage. But you need to have a meaningful purpose, so you take action because it is worth it.

When you walk uncertain roads, you can feel scared. But if you know that the journey that you are taking is important, that you have the possibility to do important work, share your learnings, help others, and add value... you are walking the path of possibilities.

Why we need to develop our character

We all have bad days. We all have challenging moments, but it doesn't mean that we have to stay that way.

When times are challenging, we cannot let spontaneity or emotion lead our actions. Among other things, because we cannot always control our emotions or invoke them at will. We need to develop our character so that we can act according to what we think is the right thing to do.

Being aware and willing is not enough to make a good decision, as only those who have the habit of acting rightly are capable of following their conscience. Additionally, besides knowing what is good, they also have the strength to act accordingly.

Talent develops in solitude, character develops in the stream of life.
― Goethe

Kevin Kelly — We Can Shape Our Future

In his TED "The Future Will Be Shaped by Optimists," Kevin Kelly, founding executive editor of Wired magazine and a former editor and publisher of the Whole Earth Review, says that "every great and difficult thing has required a strong sense of optimism." He believes that we have a moral obligation to be optimistic.

In this incredible talk, he also shares three reasons for optimism during challenging times, explaining how it can help us become better ancestors and create the world we want to see for ourselves and future generations.

Here is an excerpt of the points that I like most:

We are confronting tremendous problems in this world. Things like global climate change, which seems almost impossible to solve, or social inequality, which seems endemic and difficult to eliminate.

The scale of these problems, though, is even more reason why we should be optimistic. Because what we know is that in the past, every great and difficult thing that has been accomplished, every breakthrough, has, in fact, required a very strong sense of optimism that it was possible.
(...)
And it’s no guarantee, just because we believe something will happen that it will happen. But we do know that unless we believe that something can happen, it’s not going to happen inadvertently by itself. And so, it becomes really important that we imagine a world that we want, that we imagine solutions we want, and believe that we can make them happen. And that belief in making something impossible happen is what has shaped our future so far.

So, our own history has been basically shaped by optimists, and if we want to shape the future, we need to be optimistic. That world that we’re shaping is not a world that’s perfect. It’s not perfection; there’s no lack of problems, there’s no absence of bad things. It is totally not utopia. It’s what I would call pro-topia: a world in which things are a little bit better. And that sense of optimism is a perspective where we expect the world to yield a little bit more good than bad, to have a few more reasons to hope than to fear.

Creating a Culture Where People Thrive

Have you ever wondered what makes a person feel engaged, show a high commitment, and go further from what's expected?

People who go beyond not only make a positive impact in your environment but also on your business results. Now, imagine that you are not talking about one person but about your whole team or even your entire organization.

Having the right culture will make all the difference in your business outcomes.

People thrive when they see the impact of their contributions. If a person can demonstrate their contribution, they will also want to continue contributing. 

But how can we make sure that we create an environment where people can succeed? How do we create an environment where people can be curious, flow, and keep their commitment to do things better? 

It’s a good start to really care about people and believe in the impact they can make.

Here are four ways that you could put in place to be intentional about how to create the right environment:

1. Create a trusting environment where everyone feels valued and empowered to contribute their unique talents. A safe environment promotes that people feel comfortable asking questions, concerns, and suggestions.

2. Promote learning and growth opportunities; people are more likely to commit and contribute when they see a real interest in their learning and growth. Provide them the opportunity to lead projects, participate in initiatives from different areas, provide mentoring, or take on new responsibilities.

3. Show appreciation is a great way to boost confidence and reinforce the behaviors that you want to promote and continue to see.

4. Be consistent. This is the only way to build credibility in the employee experience journey. Consistency is the foundation for building trust, and it will allow you to increase job satisfaction and increase performance.

People want the chance to make a difference, to work in an environment where they can be challenged and grow. It's our responsibility to build the right environment and help them to thrive.

Where do you put the tired?

Seth Godin has been a huge inspiration over the years. One of his books that I always come back to, and I've given to many as a present, is "What To Do When It’s Your Turn (And It’s Always Your Turn)." This book provokes the reader into action. It invites the reader to do things that matter.

It is hard to pick the best part, but I want to share one page that resonated with me.

Where do you put the tired?

Everyone who runs the marathon gets tired.

Yet there are no books called, "How to run without getting tired." That's because you can't.

And everyone who takes their turn gets scared.

So why is everyone always talking about how to do important work, give talks, make a ruckus without the fear? Of course you're going to be afraid.

The thing is, to finish the marathon all you need to do is find a place to put the tired. Not to avoid it, merely put it somewhere.

And the same thing is true for the important work we need to do.

We have choices, and reading this book is one of those that you will never regret.

Embracing the unexpected in your career

One piece of career advice that I received early in my career was to avoid overplanning. And it really helps me a lot to the point that I now share it with many others.

There’s nothing wrong with having an idea of where you want to go in your career. However, I’ve found a more interesting approach. Instead of focusing on a specific job, I look at what skills and experiences I want to gain. This means taking on challenges that are outside my comfort zone, like leading projects, tackling new responsibilities, or volunteering for tasks that others avoid. There are countless opportunities if you're willing to step up, to go further, understand what the opportunities are to keep it simple, to do it better, to connect more… to care about others.

I can say with confidence that you won't regret being open to new opportunities, exploring uncertainty, and learning new things. Experiences that take you out of your comfort zone often offer significant potential for growth.

If you are not afraid, you are probably not challenging yourself enough.

If you want to grow, I recommend starting a list of everything you genuinely desire, even if it seems impossible. Embrace these challenges as a journey into the unknown because in uncertainty lies the abundance of possibilities.

What are you going to do next

Are you at a point in your career where you're trying to figure out what to do next? Regardless of your age, life stage, background, or career experience, there are moments in life when we are looking for more. Sometimes, even when people enjoy their work, they might feel like something is missing or find themselves feeling stuck and looking for a way out.

When people feel unnoticed, undervalued, or unsafe, they might start doing the bare minimum at their job to keep it until they find something better. But it doesn't have to be this way. You could do things differently. You can make a different choice and work to make a positive impact.

If we want to do better, we need to understand what is possible. For me, it begins when we start to feel grateful for the present moment, when we see the world through the lens of possibility, and feel excited about the future we can shape. When we find excitement in both learning new things and letting go of old ideas. When we look at things not just as they are but for what they could become. When we combine our skills and our passion to do work that really matters, make an impact, and create value.

When we view the world with a sense of possibility, we fall in love with the present because every action becomes meaningful.

It's a better place since you came

There are songs that touch your heart. When I saw this video, it definitely touched mine.

My family is my biggest inspiration in life, and my children are my greatest source of strength... However, raising a child is challenging work! Raising a child with special needs has its own set of challenges.

In a world full of challenges, actions speak louder than words.

To celebrate World Down Syndrome Day, 30 families came together to sing and make a video of the song "Better Place" by Rachel Platten. These families wanted to show a new mom that her future will be full of love. Hopefully, we will hear more stories like this, where we can listen and learn how each person contributes to making this world a better place. In our case, our son Massimo changed our lives, only for the better.

Diversity enriches our humanity and makes us better. Our empathy, compassion, humility, and respect make our world a better place.

What's the biggest impact you could make today?

Marc Lore is an American entrepreneur, businessman, investor, and NBA owner. Lore is currently the Founder, Chairman, and CEO of the Wonder Group. He is a serial entrepreneur who has started and sold four companies. He served as the President and CEO of Walmart eCommerce when his company, Jet.com, was acquired by Walmart in 2016 for $3.3 billion. Before Jet, he was the CEO and co-founder of Diapers.com/Quidsi, which was sold to Amazon in 2011 for $545 million.

He was recently asked what advice he would give to someone just starting. For him, the best advice is to be willing to take risks, be tenacious, and go all in. There is no such thing as going half in or trying something just to see what happens. You have to believe in what you are doing and commit fully.

Second, you must have a clear vision of what you want to achieve and take the initial steps toward that vision. Think big. Identify the actions you can take today that will bring you closer to your vision, and then continue this process day by day to build momentum.

Are you willing to take that risk? If you genuinely want to make a difference, you must keep moving forward. Learn to dance with fear and embrace uncertainty. Embrace discomfort. You have the power to decide what kind of person you want to be and how you want to live. Be generous, listen with empathy, and connect with others.

Ask yourself, what's the biggest impact I could make today? Remember that fear is the mind-killer. If you seek certainty, wait for someone else's instructions, or for the right mood, or for someone else to discover you, you may never have a chance. There is no guarantee that your efforts will succeed, but it's worth trying.