A delayed "thank you".

A couple of months ago I talked about how I was nominated to be the Young Non Profit Professional of the Year.  Well... I am a little late in reporting this, but the awards ceremony was on October 15.  It was a fun event, with tons of young non profit professionals networking and mingling.  My award was presented last... which meant I had the opportunity to hear about 30 other wonderful young professionals who are dedicating their career to making a difference in the lives of hundreds and thousands of people in our community.  Sitting there listening to the awards, I was just overwhelmed with how blessed we are to have the ability to serve our country, county, city... and that Grand Rapids is such an amazing collaborative community.  I love it.  As I was listening to these bios of these other awesome young professionals I was thinking there was no way that I would be chosen to win.  These other people had been in the field years longer than I had and seemed to have their hands in so many good things in Grand Rapids.  When it came to present my award, I had pretty much come to the conclusion that I was not going to win... until they said my name.  I was SHOCKED.  I just feel so honored to be chosen for this award, because this is my first year working in a nonprofit and I have been working my tail off, but feel that I have so much yet to learn.  So... I am honored to be considered the Young Nonprofit of the Year!!  I am very excited, but when talking to the rest of the group - could not help but to recognize all of the amazing leaders we have in Grand Rapids.  I truly think it is a fabulous place to live and I think that ACCESS is an amazing place to work.  So - THANK YOU to those of you who believed that I had done enough to deserve this award.  I just hope that it will bring recognition to an organization that is truly seeking to be Gods hands and feet to our community.

As part of the nomination and award process, I was asked to describe why I am passionate about my organization.  I think it is only right for me to share that with you, because I do think that I work for a phenomenal organization with passionate and God-driven people.

Why are you passionate about your cause/organization?

The mission of ACCESS is to provide working solutions to hunger and poverty in Kent County.  ACCESS truly lives out this mission it is a privilege to be a part of their team.  I believe that the work that ACCESS does in Kent County truly makes our community a better place.      The mission of ACCESS is unique and truly valuable in making change happen.  Through our programs basic needs are met, people are fed, and lives are changed.  I think that for many people it is easy to forget that there are people have severe needs in our community, but ACCESS focuses on making sure that a person’s most basic needs are met so that they can live a full life.      ACCESS brings churches, organizations, and individuals together to meet the needs of those in Kent County in a profound way.  ACCESS knows that with a strong network, it is possible to meet needs so that NO ONE goes hungry in Kent County.  I truly believe this is possible!  ACCESS does this by educating people on the realities of poverty and teaching them how to respond through our Poverty Education Initiative.  I believe that the more people that collaborate in this initiative, the larger impact we can make in our community.  I think that Grand Rapids has an outstanding level of passion and collaboration for this cause and I love that my job involves inviting people to take part in what we are doing.    I am passionate about the work I do, because I know I am part of something that is greater than myself.  ACCESS is a faith-based organization, and the ACCESS staff believe that our work is called for by God.  I am partnered with an organization that sees need and finds ways to respond in faith.  Nothing excites me more than introducing a new person to the mission of ACCESS and seeing their eyes light up as they see the role they can play through collaboration to make a difference.  I believe that everyone has the ability to significantly influence the life of another.  I am honored to have a role where I can help provide opportunities for people to change our community.

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. 

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