Anybody can stay in the box. The real impact comes when someone has the initiative and courage to venture outside of the box. Every person deep down craves to act outside of the box, but few make that step outside. A percentage of people do make the leap to think outside of the box, but their initiative unfortunately stays inside their head. Due to fear of the unknown, people hesitate to act outside. It is just so convenient to be like everybody else, do what is simply required, and don’t stand out. There is little conflict & minimal challenges inside the box. But, there is also limited impact. Over time, people often suffocate inside of the box upon recognizing this timid impact & minimized meaning. Before people die a physical death, most often suffocate internally inside the box. And the scary thing is that once people recognize their troubled breath, it often can be too late.

That 60 year old woman with no meaningful relationships and children in her life – she’s suffocating inside the box. That 75 year old man who worked the same high-paying job his whole life that he hated – he’s suffocating inside the box. That 80 year old woman who always said what was popular and always lived through others’ opinions of her – she’s suffocating inside the box. That 95 year old man who never defeated his past trauma and mistakes through self-reflection – he’s suffocating inside the box.

Die full of impact and empty of your potential. To do that, act outside of the box. Do what is unconventional if it aligns with your heart. Chase what matters long-term and not what supposedly matters short-term. Prioritize your mental health and not your status update on your bank account or your social media account. Live authenticity driven. Face the thorns from your past – let it hurt, and then move on victorious. Take your shoe off, remove the pebble, and keep on hiking higher.

Muhammad Ali – “It isn’t the mountains ahead to climb that wear you out; it’s the pebble in your shoe.”

Do not restrict your impact to a box. Go hard or go home with impact. If you are gonna’ do anything, you might as well do that thing as great as anybody has ever done it in the history of the world! And that can not be done in a box. If your job label is grocery bagger, take aim at being the greatest grocery bagger ever. Do what is required inside the box, and then some. Actually, and then a looooooooot. Smile at customers. Read customers’ vibes and tell a funny joke, inspire through a quick story, or empower through an uplifting message as needed. Work super fast; strengthen those fast twitch muscle fibers. Before work, design quote notes to put in bags. Perhaps have different versions; ask customers if they are in the mood for an inspiring or funny message. Be a team player, and incorporate your co-workers into your impact. Do all that and you are acting outside of the box. Even as a so-called grocery bagger …

Detest labels. You can do anything you want in any job title or life circumstance you want. If your creativity and drive to create positive impact is bursting at the seams, no human being in their right mind would stop that force. People are attracted to that force and will enable it. Acting outside of the box enables the potential of the human mind to be realized. Do not use the shield of humility to disguise any selfish desire to live a convenient life. Instead, be selfish in letting your unselfish desires shine through to maximize your impact on the world. So, take a step towards the perimeter of the box, perhaps a small one to start. Remember that the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step after all (Lao Tzu). Then take more. And eventually take so many steps outside the box that the inside is as unfamiliar as your body prior to birth. Unlike others whose doom is inside the box, your end-game lies outside. Your fate is reverse suffocation, and that impact creation is indelibly written.

“Reverse suffocate yourself to the point that your breath is overflowing your spirit and entering the spirit of those souls suffocating.”