Clarify your impact.

It’s amazing how clients will define their value by the things they do instead of the impact they have.  Managing the daily grind this way, it’s easy to slip into a feeling of irrelevance -- a sense that it’s all “paper pushing” without any real impact.  If you view your work that way, it’s likely that others do too.

Truth is, we are all inspired to go the extra mile if we know we’re making a difference.  Clarity of impact helps us perform better and achieve greater job security. We willingly invest ourselves in both the process and the outcome when we know that it really matters.

If you’re feeling demotivated or insecure, one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself is a fresh look at your impact.  Evaluate what you do and ask, “why does this matter?”  Take your answer and apply the question again. Soon, you’ll get clearer on the impact of your work, and you’ll feel more motivated and confident in what you’re doing.  If you still feel your impact is fuzzy, consider the impact you think you can have, and then make changes to move in that direction.