We Chose the Good. The Good Is Hard.

Today I asked my boss a simple question:

“What can I do to make your life easier?”

Without missing a beat, he replied:

“I don’t want an easy life.”

The answer stuck with me.

The best nonprofit leaders I’ve met aren’t pursuing easy. They’re pursuing impact. They willingly carry problems most people would rather avoid because the people they serve don’t have the luxury of walking away.

Fighting trafficking is hard.

Supporting vulnerable children is hard.

Raising money for causes that matter is hard.

Leading people through uncertainty is hard.

But that’s the nature of meaningful work.

Somewhere along the way, many of us in the nonprofit sector made a choice. We chose the good.

And the good is hard.

The good asks more of us. It stretches us. It keeps us up at night. It breaks our hearts sometimes.

But it also changes lives.