Would be my everlasting love

As a communication student and professional who has worked in a nonprofit setting for the last 5 years, the word impact means a lot to me. What are the impacts we plan to make through our programs? Are we sure our campaigns are having an impact on rural villages? How do we maintain our organization so that our programs are impactful? Those questions were constantly running through my mind. Therefore, when I read The New Reason to Work by Roshan Paul and Ilaina Rabat, it feels like home. So familiar, and I could not agree more with many things both have written. However, the most insight I have gotten so far (I have not finished the book yet) is about the importance of aligning who you are with what you do. Paul and Rabat present this idea in a simple graphic that helps me digest it. Three bubbles with a circle arrow are present. The first bubble represents the INNER SELF, with subtexts of body, heart, and mind. The second bubble is OUTER SELF with subtext: behavior. The third bubble is THE WORLD with subtext: our impact. An arrow connects each bubble, and an integrative view shows their interconnectedness, resembling a cyclical pattern.

INNER SELF, OUTER SELF, THE WORLD

From the graphic, I learned that the impact-first job is beyond a job. The impact you want to make on the community is part of your life; it comes from your inner self and shows through your behavior. In short, the impact that I want to have must be something that resonates with me the most. For instance, when I was a Media and Communications Officer at the Foundation for Mother and Child Health Indonesia in 2020–2022, I had a chance to interact with some pregnant mothers, children, and midwives in my native. I discovered that maternal health is one of the critical challenges in my community. Aside from that, I am very passionate about working with women and children. At that moment, I realized that maternal health, when combined with my background in communication, is the issue I am most passionate about and where I want to make a significant contribution. 

Furthermore, Roshan Paul, through his session in Narratives and Networks class, emphasizes my belief through the six critical questions to ask myself when it comes to talking about the impact-first job. They are: (1) how important is it for you to interact directly with the beneficiaries of your work?; (2) how important is your net income and lifestyle?; (3) how dedicated are you to a particular cause or geographic location?; (4) what type of organizational culture and work environment do I prefer?; (5) whether you prefer to manage, research, fundraise, advocate, or implement projects; (6) what kind of organizations do your previous education and professional experiences set you up for?. From this question, Paul asked us which kind of job appealed the most. My answer is nonprofit organizations (non-governmental), philanthropies, and social business. From the first day of my professional career until now, nonprofit organizations have been my first love and will remain my eternal one (ouch! Hope does not sound cheesy!).

There are some eye-opening statements from Paul that I think sharpen my belief that working in an impact-first industry would be my everlasting love. He said, first, “Today’s problem might be yesterday’s solution. There will always be a challenge. It happens again and again. We will always work on that, generation by generation.”. Second, “Our problems today are complicated; this world needs people from different needs and backgrounds to solve them!" And the third one, “Express your desire, maximize the connection, and say ‘yes’ when chance comes knocking!”. Really. I love his statements. To sum up, when people ask me, "What does social impact mean?" I would love to answer, “Social impact is something that you want to contribute to people around you. It could be just a tiny drop of water or a pinch of flour, but it matters. And social impact is something that you do with all of your heart that makes you find your true self, and you can live with that eternally.”