IMPACTFUL: Part 2 – A daily habit that is changing the world

Like you perhaps, I’m a bad sleeper.

But I'm also really grateful to wake up every morning too.

And that’s because I'm acutely aware that waking up healthy and happy is not something many people do and certainly something we can never take for granted.

So when I asked my usual question - which you'll know from IMPACTFUL: Part 1 is ‘How can I best use the B1G1 principles and tools here?’- I came up with an answer that has made my life better and more joyful every single day.

Life is a precious and joyful blessing.

So, since asking that question back in 2020, every single time I am blessed by waking up to another day of health and happiness… I share my joy by making a difference.

And to make that really easy to do, I've used B1G1 to set up 17 ‘Recurring Impacts’ that I fund at the start of every day. 7 days a week. 52 weeks a year.

It’s a key part of my daily routine and is always the first item on my daily ‘To Do’ list.

As a result, just after I wake up, I provide 16 days of education, shelter, medicine, and other help to those in greatest need, and plant a tree to tackle climate change. 17 impacts in total. Which, I can tell you, is always a wonderfully uplifting way to start my day.

The more I think about it, I suspect that this might actually be the most important way I have ever used the B1G1 principles and tools.

That’s true (partly) because it:

• Makes a difference every single day
• Builds a daily habit of kindness – and through that habit, brings me joy every single day
• Keeps me focused on the things that matter most – every single day
• And all for a couple of dollars a day – less than the price of a small coffee

And it’s true partly because it could lead to something much bigger…

Imagine if the leaders in every business did something like this every single day.

Imagine if by doing so they inspired their teams and families to also do something like this every single day.

Imagine if those people then inspired their friends, their colleagues, their bosses, and their families to also do something like this every day.

And imagine if they all also inspired the businesses they own, work for, or do business with to make a difference every day.

Imagine how easy it would be to achieve the Global Goals as originally planned by 2030. Imagine how much better the world would be. And imagine how we would all feel.  

Even if we all only made a small difference each, it would add up to something big. Something transformative. Something beautiful.

Something that really would tip the global scales. And tip us all into a better world. A better future.

It has to start somewhere.

So why not right here, right now, by us all becoming daily personal givers?

What if when we live another day, we give another day?

What if the key to a better world were simply… ‘Live One, Give One’

Of course, you don’t have to make 17 good things happen a day. I chose that number because there are 17 Sustainable Development goals. But you can choose any number you want. Even one would be life-changing.

And your daily budget doesn’t need to be the equivalent of a cup of coffee either. It too can be any number that works for you.

So please take this idea and adapt it in any way you want.

And then share it with your colleagues, friends, and family, so they can adapt it too.  

Because, TOGETHER, we really can change the world.

(And perhaps all sleep a little better too!)

Next time…

In future editions of IMPACTFUL I will share many more practical and inspiring examples of the ways B1G1 is helping me and others to become more richly rewarded in our businesses and our lives.

IMPACTFUL is a blog series by B1G1 member Steve Pipe. You can connect with him here, and see why we named him B1G1’s first Global Impact Envoy here.