As we head into 2020, I’ve really been spending a lot of time reflecting and praying about what I was going to take with me into the new year.

I’ve always been super involved in community enriching organizations like the Urban League of Greater Atlanta (Young Professionals and Guild) and Junior League of Atlanta. After 5 or 6 years of consecutive involvement, I found myself feeling burnt out so I took the year off to rest and focus of growing my own business interests. I did rest… I had a lot of fun. If you personally now me or have been following, you know.

But play time is over and it’s time to get back to it. One of my greatest wishes for my life is to be able to say that I lived an impactful life so as I started to ask myself, “What can I do to create impact?”

I spent a lot of time mulling over that question. My church is based on 4 pillars that guide everything they do: building families, transforming communities, reconciling cultures and impacting nations.

Building Families, Transforming Communities, Reconciling Cultures, Impacting Nations

Victory World Church

I’d heard and seen these statements over and over – they even have them displayed during very service – but as my ears became more tuned into my purpose, that last pillar – impacting nations – jumped out at me and confirmed I was at least on the right path.

Just when I started being really intentional about it, I met someone who recommended I read a book by Bob Burg and John David Mann called The Go-Giver.  (Amazon aff link) Y’all. I don’t want to give the book away (I have included a link if you want to check it out for yourself) but what I took away from it formed the base for MUSTARD.

Can I be honest with you? I’ve always felt conflicted about money. I always felt that wanting money was… selfish? Greedy? I don’t know. I wanted to be a “good” person, not a “rich” person. In my mind, they weren’t usually one in the same but The Go-Giver directly addressed my (incorrect) perception. The Law of Compensation truly opened my eyes:

“Your compensation is directly proportional to how many lives you touch.”

There it was again: impact. This book is filled with so many jewels, I was like how can I keep all of this close to me as I move forward? I couldn’t memorize the whole book – or even all of the passages I had highlighted. What I ultimately came up with to remind myself of what I read and wanted to implement into my daily life was MUSTARD.

M – mustard-seed faith

U – unapologetically YOU

S – serve others

T – trustworthy

A – authentic

R – resilient

D – disciplined

These things are required to make impact.

Again, this is my reminder to myself but I thought I would share it because I’m sure I’m not the only one it can benefit. I’ll be spending 2020 finding ways to implement MUSTARD into everything I do, every interaction with friends and strangers, alike. Apparently its a numbers game, guys. But I don’t mean that in a “go to a networking event and give every person in the room your card” kind of way. If you look at the breakdown, we’re focusing on authentic interactions and relationships. Getting out of your comfort zone to serve others. For me, being more disciplined with my finances is a big focus. By saving more, I’ll be able to give more – that’s impact.

What do you think? Will you be adding MUSTARD to your #newyearnewme list of goals? Lol. Remember, “Your income is determined by how many people you serve an how well you serve them.” – The Go-Giver

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