The Carwash Effect

The Carwash effect 😊 Come out better than when you went in.

At lunch one afternoon an incredibly wise man gave the person sitting next to me this piece of advice. “It doesn’t matter where you start, it matters where you end up.” The reason he was giving this guidance was because he was offering the person a position in his company. The person being offered the job felt it was beneath him and all his years of experience. He kept saying that he didn’t want to take a step backwards, that he was far too experienced, and was used to being the lead and not an assistant. Still the wise man kept reiterating the same advice. “It doesn’t matter where you start, what matters is where you end.” The man refused the position and took another job that paid much less but where he was top dog. Less than a month later he heard the news that the lead man at the other company had stepped down and his assistant was now taking his position. The man was distraught, seeing that the job paid twice as much as the one he accepted. I reminded him of the man’s words which were a hint at what was coming. “It doesn’t matter where you start, it’s where you end up.” You see the wise man knew the lead would be resigning but wasn’t at liberty to release that information yet. He was offering the assistant position knowing it wouldn’t be long until a promotion would take place. The man not willing to accept a lesser place missed out on the best.

What is your starting place? Have you been laid off because of the pandemic? Do you feel you can’t move forward? Sometimes the best starting place is ground zero because you can build from there. One of my favorite TV shows is Schitt’s Creek. Haven’t we all felt like we’ve been up that kind of creek at one time or another? In this series a very wealthy family has lost their entire fortune and is forced to move to a small town and live in a run-down hotel. The reason they agree to live there is that they own the town, and it is the only thing they have left. So, life begins again there, at ground zero. At first, they are horrified and feel that life is over. As the seasons progress, they discover the best things about themselves and not only survive but come out much wiser and happier people because of it.

Isn’t that what the great stories are all about, Character development? That is what makes a story riveting, the obstacles a person faces and the change of perspective and how they come out at the end.

I direct for the theater. Many times, after auditions when I am casting the show performers will decline a supporting role because they wanted the lead. What they do not realize is they were cast in the lesser role was because they weren’t ready for the big one. With a lesser role they will learn, with the lead, they will fail. The best dancers and choreographers learned in ensemble roles and the best leads started as extras or supporting roles. You can’t grow and learn if you’re not participating.

Have you been offered something that is less than what you expected? Think twice about refusing. It could catapult you to where you want to be. Remember the advice of the wise man, and the person who missed their dream job. We may enter the car wash filthy, but we come out the other end, shiny and clean.