Welcome to MAP YOUR MISSION in 5 days!

I’m so excited to work with you this week to sort through all the ways you are passionate about creating change, and helping you chart your unique path forward for making it happen!

Today we will start by reflecting on your past, and all the unique experiences, skills, and personal qualities that have brought you to where you are today. 

Taking inventory of all this will allow you to build your path for creating meaningful impact from a strong foundation that is completely aligned with your authentic self.

One reason this is a crucial first step is because all of us have a one-of-a-kind set of experiences and knowledge that ultimately forms our view of the world. And it is this perspective that allows each of us to see the issues and challenges around us in our way. 

That means humanity has roughly 7.5 billion lenses through which to generate new world-changing ideas!

When we fully embrace putting our own unique experiences and strengths to work through this lens, that is the most valuable way we can serve and support others. 

Imagine if every changemaker around the world felt empowered to bring the very best of themselves in pursuit of transforming unjust, unsustainable, and unethical equilibriums into new status quos!

I’ve experienced first-hand the feeling of alignment and purpose that comes from fully integrating my best strengths and experiences into my changemaking work.

After I graduated from University, I knew that I wanted to be involved in social impact in some way. This was in large part thanks to my involvement with an entrepreneurial student club where we designed projects that integrated entrepreneurial practices into every community project we worked on. My eyes were opened to the power of structuring impactful projects in ways that weren’t fully reliant on charitable funding.

Alongside a 3-year swerve into the corporate world, I continued to invest into my social entrepreneurship education. I couldn’t get enough! 

This idea that traditionally charitable causes could be bolstered with the innovative business models of social enterprise was an idea too good to keep to myself. I was compelled to contribute to getting this knowledge into the hands of the people who would have the most leverage: non-profit leaders. 

It seemed like the perfect path to follow. After all, existing non-profit organizations already had worthwhile missions, great programs, and a wealth of staff and infrastructure they could build from.

In my mind at the time, the only missing piece was simply cracking the code to increase available funding with tools of social enterprise. This was always the #1 reason cited by not-for-profits for not being able to expand or level-up in order to have a greater impact.

And so the Sedge was born.

It took me time to realize that, while I wanted to have an impact supporting organizations to blend entrepreneurial thinking AND social and environmental impact, working specifically with not-for-profit organizations was not actually the best path for ME to help in this regard.

Why?

Because this path did not build off the best of my existing skills, my lived experience, or my unique perspective in the world. At that point, I hadn't ever worked for a not-for-profit organization! How could I truly serve them? (Especially when others who did have that experience could be more effective.)

However, there was another group waiting for similar tools and resources: a group of independent changemakers for whom I was much better suited to serve as a result of my own lived experience, knowledge, and unique perspective.

Today I focus on supporting aspiring and recent changemakers, many of whom are a few years behind my own path, because my experience is rooted in the realm of start-ups and solo entrepreneurship. 

Not only can I serve this group, but I still attract the most forward-thinking entrepreneurial non-profit leaders, because we still have aligned values and goals too!

Today I want you to take a moment and reflect on the unique strengths and experiences that have got you to where you are today.

If you skip this step, you might wind up trying to fit yourself into a mold that is simply not the best fit for you. It could be valuable work, but not necessarily the best use of your unique skills and capabilities. 

And that means it might not be the best fit for the people that you want to work with.

When your pursuit for making an impact is aligned with your authentic self, the road will be less bumpy for you, and will be more effective for the people you serve.

Lesson Activity

Now let’s dive into your short ACTION STEP for today:

Take 10 minutes to look inward and reflect on your life in these categories: Strengths, Experiences, Assets. 

I’ve included some questions and examples for each to help you brainstorm!

1. Strengths

What are your qualities or personality traits you know set you apart?  What are you really great at? What skills do you have that have served you well so far in life? What do people say they admire about you? In what ways are you proud of the way you approach conflicts or tough situations? 

When you're thinking of your strengths as they relates to activities, also address each small task that goes into it. For example, if one of your strengths is producing explainer videos for organizations to share what they do and why they do it… what are all of the specific tasks that go into you being so wonderful at that activity? The specific skills that could go into it could be storytelling, interviewing, getting complex messages across clearly and concisely, active listening, and so on.

2. Experiences

What are the unique experiences that have brought you to where you are today? When were there times in your life when you felt a bit, or a lot, out of your comfort zone? What have you gleaned from those adventures?

3. Assets

What assets or resources do you have available to you? These could be things like networks you are connected into, your existing relationships, access to space, access to thought leaders, or access to specialized knowledge, etc.

Once you have 'taken inventory' with today's Action Step, I invite you to hit reply and share it with me!  

This brings to me to share one of the most common mistakes I see well-intentioned changemakers make.

Head to the next lesson, 'Oversight Opportunity' to learn what it is.