I spent the evening with a friend this week. We had the usual girl talk about work, the kids, significant others and current events. After a long conversation, and a few glasses of wine, she shared that she wanted to make more of a difference. That she didn’t feel as if she was contributing in a “big enough way.”
Her comment lingered with me because I hear it often. Women want to do more, yet they rarely acknowledge what they are already doing. I thought of all the ways my friend is contributing. She emotionally and financially supports two children, helps individuals and corporate teams find insights, and tonight she is planning to take a young woman to dinner who lost her mother early this year to ALS.
Like many of us, I think my friend is already contributing in a “big enough way.” By simple expressing what comes most natural, she makes a positive impact. So, before we start looking for more things to do, let’s start recognizing what we are already doing. It’s not the quantity of efforts that contributes in “a big way,” but the quality of the time spent with others.