No, this isn’t a post about raising your IQ, as in your intelligence quotient. (I’m not the brightest bulb in the box, so I wouldn’t feel qualified to write about that anyway.) This is about raising your IQ, as in your impact quotient.
We all want to make an impact in this life. We want to feel that when we pass from this life and someone stands up to speak at our funeral, they will be able to talk about the impact we made on others. We want them to talk about our impact quotient.
There are a million books, articles and posts out there to tell you how to increase your impact if you’re a manager, artist, CEO, entrepreneur, politician, etc. But what if you’re just a normal, average person? What can normal people do to raise their IQ, or impact quotient?
Well you don’t have to become someone you’re not. You don’t have to start a company, or create works of art, or design a new invention, or record a great song. If you want your life to have greater impact, you need to…
- Invite selectively. You wouldn’t invite just anyone into your home. You’re careful about who comes into your home. Likewise, you need to be just as careful about the things you let into your life. Don’t just accept anything that knocks on the door of your life. If you want your life to have impact, you can’t give space and energy to just anything and everything that wants in. You must selectively invite the right things into your life. Remember: Your life is only as good as the things and people you invite in.
- Interrogate ruthlessly. If you’ve ever cleaned out a garage or prepared for a move, you’ve had the experience going through all the things you’ve collected and getting rid of the things you didn’t really need. In the same way, you’ve collected thoughts, beliefs, attitudes, desires, habits, behaviors, etc. that you don’t really need. These things are taking up space and energy that would better be used for something else. Many of us need to go through our lives and clear out the unnecessary clutter so that we have room for the things that really matter.
- Instruct continually. People of impact are life-long learners. This doesn’t mean you have to go back to school. It means you must never loose your sense of curiosity and wonder with things, big and small. The more you learn, the more you have at your disposal to leverage for impact. But as you are learning, you also need to share what you’re learning. Sharing the instruction you’ve received is a great way to impact others. You don’t have to have some sort of formal teaching position. Just share what you’ve learned.
So don’t assume that just because you’re a “normal” person you can’t make a huge impact. Anyone can be a person of impact. Be careful about what you invite into your life. Be ruthless in evaluating the things already in your life, and be a life-long learner who shares what they’ve learned. This is how to raise your IQ and impact your world.
But these things are true on another level also…
In Isaiah 55:1-3 you will find the same three elements applied to increasing your spiritual impact. Verse 1 is a clear invitation. Verse 2 is a clear interrogation. And verse 3 is a clear instruction. If you want to be a person of impact, spiritually or otherwise, try reading and re-reading these words from Isaiah and letting them become a part of you.
What are some things you feel raises a person’s impact quotient (IQ)? Leave a comment and share those with others.
Copyright © 2014 Bret Legg
Wow. I love this post. I have been thinking along the lines of “garbage in, garbage out” for a few days now. I have been wanting to replace the garbage. I have written several things about this post already and erased them. I am hoping my impact quotient will be all that God wants it to be.
Sounds like growth and progress are being engineered and you’re on track. Awesome!