“It’s not whether you get knocked down, it’s whether you get back up.”
~Vince Lombardi
When I saw this quotation, I thought of all the people I have met in the Non-Profit World and how their passion and persistence always prevailed at some level, even if it was a baby step.
They are very special folk. Sometimes they complain about their low wages and threaten to leave for higher ground, and then they look around and find that the higher ground just doesn’t hold the appeal the money offers.
If there were a group of people who should be studied for their ability to work as a team, then the non-profits should be considered a petri-dish of one of the strongest “passion viruses” around. Whether it’s saving forests, building social equity or inspiring others with stories, people who truly care find ways to gather and to work together to ensure future generations will have opportunities to learn and grow.
These are people who devote their lives to their belief in the cause they have signed up for, whatever it might be. They may often be knocked down, but it is because they continue to get up every time they are knocked down that they make our world a better place.
Not only do they take their inspiration from the environment that surrounds them, from the communities and people they work with, but the landscape which influences our lives is deeply ingrained in their souls and becomes a part of them. Theirs is away of life. It is fun, adventurous, educational, often challenging and sometimes dangerous but it is so much a part of them that they can NOT NOT do this work.
I recall the many years I’ve spent, often out on the road, trying to raise funds for special projects, and what always rises to the surface are the times people said “Yes!” That little word, “Yes” is magical. It always changes the world and changes lives, but for those working in non-profits it also provides the fire in the belly of the beast of belief and a cause for celebration – no matter how big or small the “Yes” is. It reinforces their belief in themselves and their work and allows them to walk more lightly on mother earth.
I feel very honoured to have had the opportunity to come to know many of the best and the most passionate of folks in the field from New Brunswick through to the West Coast! Just like me, they never see an alternative to getting back up. My personal motto has been ” Just Keep on Walking” So let’s all dust ourselves off, tomorrow is another day and the next “Yes” is just around the corner!