The existential crisis of a child…and what we can learn.

I’m in bed the other night, and my 11 year old climbs in next to me. He actually tucks me in each night, since my bedtime is about 30 minutes before his.

(Yes, “le sigh,” I go to bed REALLY early.)

My son gets into the full-on spoon position and says to me, “What is the point, mommy, nothing that I do is going to matter in 1000 years. ”Whoa, that’s big stuff. 1000 years? Yes, he thinks big. He always has, and as an example, he once expected, at four years old, to get a hole-in-one on every hole playing Putt Putt golf. Despite being bone tired, or maybe because I was bone tired, I said to him, “You are right. What you do today or in your lifetime probably won’t matter 1000 years from now. What matters is your daily impact on other people.” We talked a little bit about what my statement meant, I gave him some examples of how what he does matters to others each day, and he “seemed” to accept the idea…for now. And for anyone out there who is thinking about their meaning, purpose and impact – I give you the same piece of advice:

What matters most each day is what you do to positively impact those around you.

Here’s my personal challenge for you. When you wake up tomorrow morning, before you reach for your phone or put your feet on the floor, think about what you can do to make an impact on the lives of the people you encounter that day. Be intentional. Make a commitment to do something that makes someone else’s life better – it doesn’t matter how big or small the impact is – just commit to making a difference for someone else. For more information about how coaching can help you find your meaning, purpose and impact, reach out to Kimberly@KimberlyPutmanCoaching.com.