I want to live a virtuous life, and I want to have a positive impact on the world. In practice, these are 2 very different goals.
The former is intrinsic — the act is its own reward, and I don’t have to claim responsibility for any external outcomes. The latter is results-oriented, so my noble intentions must clash with the messy compromise of reality. For this reason, high-impact people often seem less virtuous… especially in the “humility” department.
Most of my high-impact friends have this in common. They can just shamelessly project their own expectations onto the environment around them & rely on others to reconcile the difference, rather than contorting themselves into a pre-determined slot. They’re not merely selfish with their time — they’re assertive with their will.
For instance, let’s say we’re at a restaurant. Personally, having worked briefly in food service, it is my goal to be as easy a customer as possible, and for the wait staff to enjoy my presence & be glad that it was me, and not some more difficult customer, that sat at their table. Even if they bring me the wrong dish, I’ll usually just eat it.