That phrase is most often used to explain to a negative person or a martyr that a change in a job, marriage or living locale won’t improve his or her lot in life unless he or she changes on the inside. I recently had an opportunity to use that phrase in a positive way. Here’s what I mean.
I was on the phone with a coaching client*. She is trying to determine whether or not it’s time to make a job change. The organization she works for has undergone some painful challenges over the past few years. Working there has caused her to experience stress, and lots of it. But what’s kept her there is the feeling of satisfaction she gets from knowing she’s making a difference in people’s lives.
Here’s what I told her:
You’re not making a difference because of where you work. You’re making a difference because of who you are. Wherever you work, be it where you are now or someplace else, you will make a difference because you really care about others. You can’t not make a difference.
I don’t yet know what her final decision will be. But here’s what I do know: Wherever she goes, there she’ll be. And that’s a good thing.
*The client has given me permission to share this story.
482gr8 