Right now, ACCESS is working with The Image Group to develop our brand. One thing that ACCESS has ALWAYS struggled with is communicating who we are and what we do to the public. Our Brand Advancement committee is working hard to put an image to what we do to better communicate this. There are many ideas that have been thrown about and in a recent meeting we were making decisions on letter head and business cards and talking about how we need to maintain a cohesive image with everything that leaves our office. At the end of our meeting, Bruce, our executive director/ceo made the comment that we must not forget our mission to serve God in our community and that that must be a part of everything we do. At first I was challenged with how to express this in the form of business cards and letter head, but got thinking about what this means for ACCESS as a whole. And then maybe even more importantly, is this evident in my life?
Bruce's comment that "we musn't forget our mission" struck a chord with me... because I think that there have been many many times in my life when I have gotten all caught up in the busyness... the font on the business cards, if you will.... and I have forgotten WHY I am here in the first place. What is my mission statement for life? Is this evident in all that I do? Or do I forget? My mission in life is to glorify God in all that I do. It is easy to let that be a minor detail in the chaos of life, but I think that it is something that we each need to be reminded of from time to time so that I can re-prioritize. This is something that does not come easy for me (does it come easy for anyone?). "Not forgetting" is something that I must work very hard at. I am so so very blessed to work for such an amazing, God-centered organization that always encourages me in my spiritual walk.
Proverbs 3
1 My son, do not forget my teaching,
but keep my commands in your heart,
2 for they will prolong your life many years
and bring you prosperity.
3 Let love and faithfulness never leave you;
bind them around your neck,
write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 Then you will win favor and a good name
in the sight of God and man.
October 5, 2009
September 11, 2009
A Weekend in the Woods
Over Labor Day weekend, Jordan , Macy, and I met up with my parents at the "Hunting Club". This is the third year we have gone up there for a long weekend... it is just so relaxing without email or internet or phone service most of the time. We deeply missed Ben and Krista this weekend, but they were enjoying time with Ben's sister and brother-in-law down in Tennessee. Here are a few pics of our relaxing woodsy get-away.
I'm a nominee!
Since I started working at ACCESS, I have been a member of the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network (YNPN). This is a group of young nonprofit leaders in Grand Rapids. Over the past couple of months I have worked hard to continue to educate myself in the nonprofit sector and to increase the visibility of ACCESS in the community... well, it looks like I must have been doing something right, because I have been nominated for "Young Nonprofit Professional of the Year"! I feel so undeserving, but honored to be included in this group of truly amazing young professionals. We were featured in the most recent issue of "Rapid Growth" and you can find the article here: http://bit.ly/ZrL8j. If you read down to the bottom of the article you will see my quote on how amazing ACCESS is! The winner will be announced at the awards ceremony on October 15 held at the Wealthy Street Theater.
August 23, 2009
Busy are the ants...
“NO”. So easy, yet so hard to say… At least for me.
I am a busy-body. I fill up my time and busy myself with both important and unimportant things. I know that if my plate is full and someone offers me yet another time consuming opportunity I will likely say the words… “oh sure! I can do that”… but most often I can’t… at least not and still keep my sanity.
What’s the point?
It seems that busyness is now seen as a sign of productivity and importance. A person must be very significant and needed if their time is filled up with responsibility. But is this really the case? And am I any less of a person if I do not fill my time with every busy opportunity that presents itself? Or are there underlying reasons for why we make ourselves so busy? I know for myself… I am a people pleaser and hate to think that I would disappoint someone by turning down whatever it is they’ve asked of me. The truth is… nobody expects me to do everything and if someone asks me, they know there are two possible answers “yes” and “no”. And I have a right to say either. I’d love to think that I could take it all on and in my mind I think I can… but oftentimes I end up doing things that just keep me busy and aren’t necessarily the best use of my time. I need to slow down… learn to say “no”, or at least “maybe”, before I say “yes”. And I need to consider why I would choose to spend my time on this or that.
This is something that I am continually evaluating at work. In the small office I work in, I am one of the most technologically savvy employees. I get a lot of questions of how to do this or that – or can I make this or that flyer, etc. I do not mind this at all, and honestly, most of these little side projects are things that I truly do enjoy doing! However, I need to evaluate my reason for being there. What is the best use of my time? How can I be most productive in the 8 hours I spend in the office each day? As development director, there is always someone to call, always another meeting, another fundraiser, another dinner event… but I need to prioritize my “to-do” list and be intentional about how I spend my time. It took me awhile to learn this lesson, along with my boss reminding me a few times that how I was spending my time was not in my job description (whoops) although I was doing “good things”. I have since learned to delegate and this has gotten easier now ACCESS has a Communications Coordinator that is responsible for much of the social networking and out-going communications. I am continually passing things off to her, and she is okay with that, because she knows where my priorities lie, and it is her job to assist staff with such things.
Back to the Basics.
I have found that saying “yes” is more or less a habit that I needed to break. There is such thing as a work/life balance and it is an art I am slowly learning. I know that too much of any one thing can be harmful. There is so much I would like to do… I’d love to volunteer at this and that place, be part of this and that book study, do music, be on this or that board or committee, oh and maybe I’ll dabble in graphic design, help plan this party or shower, etc. etc. etc. But there is a bigger issue at stake here… and that is evaluating our priorities and what we let define us. Jordan and I have attended Crossroads Bible Church for the past couple of weeks and they have been studying the book of James. Last week we were challenged to examine our actions and our beliefs. Our beliefs and values that we hold inside will always line up with our actions. So I ask – how does what I spend my time on represent who I am? Is it making be a better person or is it draining me? This week we talked about idols of the heart and we were challenged to examine what in our life defines us. Too much of any one thing can be dangerous, as they begin to let it define who we are. So, I need to step back and look at how I am spending my time. What am I putting into myself and how will that be reflected in my actions? What am I letting define me? I need to passionately guard my mind, heart, and time. If I am lazy with how I make decisions about my time, then my stressed-out, drained actions will show it.
Love Life.
I don’t think that we were created to be busy-bodied workaholics. We each have our own desires and things we find enjoyable. The sad part is, as I look back on the summer, the times I spent doing those things are few and far between. There must be balance. Just as I schedule time for the things that need to happen, I need to protect my time and schedule time for enjoyment. I need to make sure that I go on a date with my husband weekly and take time to read a book just for fun. These are things that we need to maintain balance in our lives.
I hope it is clear that I am not saying to neglect your responsibilities. That is not it at all. My point is that we need to take a step back and look at ourselves and how we spend our time… are there ways we can improve? What does how I spend my time saying about me? What in my life defines me? Am I enjoying life? It is easy for me to let these probing questions slip by and continue to just let life happen and let my plate get full without looking at what I am busy with. As I stated in my last post, I have decided to take this next semester off of school for many of these reasons. I need to take a step back and examine how I am spending my time… where do I need to be… what is important to me and why… and take the time to pray about the next steps. I refuse to let life “happen” but instead choose to be intentional about how I spend my time. I don’t know what this means for my future, but I know that I will have a say in it. :-)
It is not enough to be busy; so are the ants. The question is: what are we busy about?
- Henry David Thoreau
I am a busy-body. I fill up my time and busy myself with both important and unimportant things. I know that if my plate is full and someone offers me yet another time consuming opportunity I will likely say the words… “oh sure! I can do that”… but most often I can’t… at least not and still keep my sanity.
What’s the point?
This is something that I am continually evaluating at work. In the small office I work in, I am one of the most technologically savvy employees. I get a lot of questions of how to do this or that – or can I make this or that flyer, etc. I do not mind this at all, and honestly, most of these little side projects are things that I truly do enjoy doing! However, I need to evaluate my reason for being there. What is the best use of my time? How can I be most productive in the 8 hours I spend in the office each day? As development director, there is always someone to call, always another meeting, another fundraiser, another dinner event… but I need to prioritize my “to-do” list and be intentional about how I spend my time. It took me awhile to learn this lesson, along with my boss reminding me a few times that how I was spending my time was not in my job description (whoops) although I was doing “good things”. I have since learned to delegate and this has gotten easier now ACCESS has a Communications Coordinator that is responsible for much of the social networking and out-going communications. I am continually passing things off to her, and she is okay with that, because she knows where my priorities lie, and it is her job to assist staff with such things.
Back to the Basics.
I have found that saying “yes” is more or less a habit that I needed to break. There is such thing as a work/life balance and it is an art I am slowly learning. I know that too much of any one thing can be harmful. There is so much I would like to do… I’d love to volunteer at this and that place, be part of this and that book study, do music, be on this or that board or committee, oh and maybe I’ll dabble in graphic design, help plan this party or shower, etc. etc. etc. But there is a bigger issue at stake here… and that is evaluating our priorities and what we let define us. Jordan and I have attended Crossroads Bible Church for the past couple of weeks and they have been studying the book of James. Last week we were challenged to examine our actions and our beliefs. Our beliefs and values that we hold inside will always line up with our actions. So I ask – how does what I spend my time on represent who I am? Is it making be a better person or is it draining me? This week we talked about idols of the heart and we were challenged to examine what in our life defines us. Too much of any one thing can be dangerous, as they begin to let it define who we are. So, I need to step back and look at how I am spending my time. What am I putting into myself and how will that be reflected in my actions? What am I letting define me? I need to passionately guard my mind, heart, and time. If I am lazy with how I make decisions about my time, then my stressed-out, drained actions will show it.
Love Life.
I don’t think that we were created to be busy-bodied workaholics. We each have our own desires and things we find enjoyable. The sad part is, as I look back on the summer, the times I spent doing those things are few and far between. There must be balance. Just as I schedule time for the things that need to happen, I need to protect my time and schedule time for enjoyment. I need to make sure that I go on a date with my husband weekly and take time to read a book just for fun. These are things that we need to maintain balance in our lives.
I hope it is clear that I am not saying to neglect your responsibilities. That is not it at all. My point is that we need to take a step back and look at ourselves and how we spend our time… are there ways we can improve? What does how I spend my time saying about me? What in my life defines me? Am I enjoying life? It is easy for me to let these probing questions slip by and continue to just let life happen and let my plate get full without looking at what I am busy with. As I stated in my last post, I have decided to take this next semester off of school for many of these reasons. I need to take a step back and examine how I am spending my time… where do I need to be… what is important to me and why… and take the time to pray about the next steps. I refuse to let life “happen” but instead choose to be intentional about how I spend my time. I don’t know what this means for my future, but I know that I will have a say in it. :-)
It is not enough to be busy; so are the ants. The question is: what are we busy about?
- Henry David Thoreau
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