Thursday Thoughts - March 17, 2022: No One Told Me It Would Be This Hard
Very people actually knew this what they wanted to do with their life
A Room Full of Misfits
Misfit is roughly defined as someone who is badly adjusted or someone who is unsuitable or set apart because of their habits or behaviors. It’s a harsh definition, but maybe I was really in a room with folks that were set apart because of their career tracks; true misfits.
Here I was in a classroom setting, the one person lived in the same town they grew up in. She went to the local community college and ended up working for the college in their development department. The other person, I suspect was a high school dropout that got help from a nonprofit; she ended up working for them. A third was a stay-at-home mom looking for something more out of life. Then there was me, the dyed-in-the-wool government bureaucrat that swore he would never work in the nonprofit sector. I guess God and a few other people had different plans for me.
Our backgrounds were diverse. I am sure if we had deep conversations on just about any topic we’d probably find out that we had different beliefs on a lot of different things. Yet, we were all there learning and sharing about our nonprofits organizations and how we can be better in the roles we are playing.
And then it hit me. A ton of bricks.
No one ever thought their lives would be like this.
Who Signed Up For This?
None of those people at my table; no one in the entire room; not even the facilitators thought that they would be doing what they are doing for a living. These were all nonprofit professionals in a professional development seminar and while we all had different backgrounds and experiences, it became obvious we all started our vocational journeys from different points in life.
For some reason, my mind wandered to think about what these people thought their lives were going to be like when they were back in high school. Perhaps some of them were going to be teachers, lawyers, or doctors. Maybe a career in business or banking. Nonprofits? Not a chance. Heck, I don’t even think I uttered the word “nonprofit” until I was in college.
And I’ll be the first to admit I might have had a bit of an educational advantage. In college, I majored Urban Affairs. It was a major that dealt with communities and how they are run; nonprofits play a major role in that world and I took a few nonprofit management classes in my undergrad years.
Throughout my time at college, I worked hard and ended up working for the university in a program that paid for my graduate degree while earning a small stipend. I earned a Masters Degree in Public Administration. Through my time in the program, I met people who were either running or wanted to run a nonprofit. Changing the world while earning what seemed to be poverty-level wages didn’t sound like a fun way to live.
Yet, look at what happened. Here I am.
Life Brought Us Here
I am sure the stories of others in this line of work are just as varied and probably more interesting than my own. It’s the rare person who knew at a young age that working in nonprofits is what they wanted to do with their life. Most people in this line of work had some type of calling, some type of wake-up. All the people in this line of work were all moved for a bunch of reasons to do what they are doing now.
And while we were all called, few of us were really prepared. I am reminded of the sermon message of heard more than once, “God will prepare the called, he doesn’t call the prepared.” I am not completely sure the theology behind such statement, but I get the message. Step out in faith, the pieces will fall into place.
Falling into Place or Just Falling?
And it’s easy to feel like we are just falling in this line of work. Are we going to land in a soft spot or are we in for a hard landing? Fundraising, budgeting, personnel, operations, capital planning, board relationships. Even in the most easiest of times just nailing one or two of these areas can be challenging. But as the non-profit leader, we have to learn to do all of these, all of the time at a high level of competence.
And I know for many of us in this line of work we feel completely and wholly inadequate. We don’t feel prepared enough, smart enough, capable enough, (add your own) enough. If I had a nickel for every time a colleague told me, “I never knew it would be this hard and I feel like I can’t do it”, I could retire tomorrow.
Here is the thing. You aren’t alone in those feelings. We have all been there. Heck, I have been there.
But, you are where you are. Your job is to keep on doing what you are doing. My job is to keep on doing what I am doing.
No one is asking for you to be perfect, they are asking you to be present.
I was reminded of what a football coach said to the media about a prized rookie that was often injured and rarely played; “Your availability is more important that your ability. If you are always riding the bench, you aren’t helping as you should.”
In other words, you are in the game. There will be bumps and there will be curves; but there will be times to celebrate. Make it happen. You can do it.
Stay well,
Bill
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