Intent is good, impact is better

It’s like bacon and eggs – the chicken is contributing, but the pig has all the impact.

You might have heard a teacher or someone in your family use the term “gunner” to describe someone who’s “gonna do this, gonna do that” but never quite gets around to it. Gunners have all the best intentions in the world, but when it comes to actually making a difference, it’s all talk.

You see it in organisations, too, where their spokespeople will say they’re committed to hiring people from diverse backgrounds and disciplines, but it never seems to translate into having any fewer old white men at the top.

Wait – what was that about pigs and chickens?

It’s another one of those self-reflective pieces, where you can look at the intentions you have – the ways you see yourself as a good person – and think about how you live up to that self-image in practice. Are you a “vegetarian” who somehow manages to eat meat twice a week, because there was no other option? Do you think liking an Instagram post about refugees is the same as helping to organise food to be delivered to Manus Island?

Oh… you mean sending bacon and eggs to refugees for impact. Got it.

N…no. Forget the bacon and eggs.

Look, it doesn’t even have to be that full-on – or that negative. Use this opportunity to think about the ways you want to act, behave and present yourself in the future… then make a solid action plan to get there. Want to be an artist? Start drawing. Want to be an early riser? Start setting alarms – and don’t snooze them.

This is a personal process, so it’s really up to you which goals you set and how you plan to reach them. But if you suspect you might be a gunner, keep in mind the difference between bacon and eggs.

Especially if you do consider yourself a vegetarian…