Is the grass really greener on the other side? When you stand in your front yard and look across the street at your neighbor’s lawn, their grass appears to look thick, green and pretty darn good.
Have you ever sat at your desk ― or, better yet ,driven down the road ― and looked at all the different businesses along your drive, wondering what it would be like to work there? The building is beautiful, the parking lot is full of employees’ cars, and the grass is green. The thought rolls through your head, This must be a great place to work.
And from there, your mind goes down a crazy path. Don’t get me wrong: Wondering and dreaming are good for you. But, all of this is based on perspective ― a very limited perspective. Sure, you can draw some conclusions based upon appearance; but, you can’t always judge a book by its cover.
I have had many employees over the years leave in search of greener pastures. Some have found what they were looking for.
The vast majority, however, have told me they didn’t know how good they had it before leaving. Nevertheless, I applaud them for trying.
Now, let’s get back to this grass-is-greener-on-the-other-side perspective. A friend of mine had the opportunity to take a helicopter ride over his neighborhood. One of the first things he noticed was all of the lawns in the neighborhood. While he admired his neighbors’ lawn from across the street, a look from above showed bare and brown patches on them. His own lawn looked pretty good in comparison.
Perspective matters.
So, when you’re sitting there looking at your neighbor’s lawn and thinking it looks a little greener, ask yourself: What am I doing to keep my grass green? Have I watered it lately? Put the right fertilizers on it? Kept it properly maintained?
The same applies to the office or cubicle next door.
It may appear so, but the grass isn’t always greener on the other side.
Mike Klockenbrink is chief of staff at Lakeside Church in Folsom, CA. Mike worked for W.W. Grainger Industrial Supply for 16 years in many different capacities. In January 2000, Mike quit climbing the corporate ladder and started climbing the Kingdom ladder. Klockenbrink can be reached at mikeklockenbrink@lakesidechurch.com.
