Do you want to have impact or consequence?
Many of my coaching students tell me that they want to have impact. Impact on a project, impact in their job, impact within their profession, maybe even impact on the world. When they start talking about all the "impact"s they want to have, I ask them to consider the term they are using.
In physics, "impact" refers to an event where two bodies collide and experience immediate deceleration as a result. It is a force that is difficult to predict and with often violent consequences.
While for most this subtle change of terminology may seem pedantic, but the words we choose affect the decisions we make and the actions we take. By striving to have impact as your goal you are setting yourself up to just make a splash to gain attention, rather than making the best decisions. Impact is more about growing your ego than making long lasting changes.
What I guide my students to instead is to consider thinking in terms of having consequence. Instead of asking, "Will this change things?", ask yourself, "Will this change things to improve people's lives?".
Thinking in terms of consequence is more strategic and, in the long run, more rewarding than pursuing impact.