I’m currently in the middle of nowhere in New Zealand, and this has been my view for the past few days.
We’re driving through the South Island for our honeymoon and I’ve experienced so many places that have made me feel so small.
I love it.
Feeling small may seem like a weird thing to celebrate in a newsletter about impact businesses, but hear me out.
Our world idolizes the BIG.
Big house, big personality, big presence.
But I think this obsession with big-ness disconnects us from the world around us and from seeing ourselves as part of it.
I love experiencing things that make me feel small for this exact reason.
Here’s why.
You’re part of something bigger
Walking through something as organic as a forest (or as intentional as a garden) something inside of you just feels connected.
You see community, cooperation, living infrastructure working together.
I love experiencing these living systems because they remind me that I’m not outside of them.
This little act makes me feel like I’m part of something bigger, and makes me want to fight for it.
This is exactly how I see the impact world. It’s a ecosystem that thrives on cooperation over competition, on collaborating towards solving interconnected problems.
The more we honor how we’re connected the better those connections will become.
This doesn’t have to mean you need to go walk in a forest, but I’d urge you to find your reminder that you’re connected to something bigger.
In the nicest way possible, no one cares
Standing at Bob’s Peak, I’m reminded that the universe doesn’t care about my business or what metrics I pulled last year.
I can get in my own head about these things:
- What will people think about my writing?
- What if this business idea flops?
- What if no one shows up to my event?
It can be overwhelming, and if left unchecked, can negatively affect my self-worth.
Having these “small” experiences shows me again and again that, in the nicest possible way, no one cares.
Everyone is the main character in their own movie. Anything I do, whether successful or cringe, will occupy their attention for about 5 seconds before they move on with their day.
This is oddly freeing for me.
It allows me to continue on trying new things in the impact world, whether it’s a new gathering format for Make Space or a new type of content for Good Fortune.
If you’re building in the impact space, you may feel like everyone is watching and judging every move you make.
The reality is most people won’t notice. And the ones who do will either resonate and support you or move on with their day.
Either way, you’re free to keep building.
Practice the art of being
I always get this feeling that can almost be confused for nervousness when I’m in a huge space.
I think it comes from growing up in bands, playing venues that felt big, either because they were or because there weren’t enough people there to fill up the room (most often the latter).
I was rarely nervous, mostly excited, and I started to equate that feeling to being fully present. It was hard to phone it in at a gig when you’re trying to impress the 12 people that came out to see you 😅.
I get this same feeling in nature. I think when you can get a sense for how truly huge and beautiful the world is around you, you can slow down and just be.
We’ve built so much stress into our lives, looking back at the past and planning for the future.
It’s nice to just be still every once and awhile. It’s also that stillness that allows me to have some of my most creative moments.
I’d urge you to find some time to be still, even if it’s just 10 minutes. No music, no phone, just you and the present moment.
I can assure you it’ll be worthwhile.
That’s all, no tactics or strategies, just some thoughts as I leave the wonderful world of New Zealand and come back to reality.
I hope this compels you to find something that makes you feel small, so you can build something big.
And if this resonated, hit reply and tell me what makes you feel small. I read every response.
P.S. If you’re building for impact and navigating challenges that feel isolating, we’re hosting a collaborative circle in a few weeks. Small group, honest exchange, co-creating the support system that should already exist for impact founders.
Learn more here.
