Growing up can be hard to do!

Hello there!

Life was a little easier as a child, running free, no care in the world besides "I wonder if I can have dessert after dinner"  "Can my friend come over and play?"  That was my experience, fun, easier, carefree, couldn't wait to grow up and do 'grown up' things: drive, go to places by myself, etc.

Similar feelings rush over me with running a non profit-can't wait to grow up, expand, be BIG!  Like a child, you don't want it to grow up too fast, however you can't wait to grow up either a little confusing and contradicting right?  Such as life.   

D.O.G.S. is growing up, so to speak, each day it gets older, hopefully a little wiser, and more mature.  Bigger isn't necessarily better.  Growing up is hard to do; trying to figure out which way you would like your organization to grow up, this way or that way.  This belief, mission, vision, value or that belief, mission, vision or value.  As a newbie to all this: running a non profit business, learning the ins and outs and learning pretty much everything there has to learn about running essentially a start up with mostly heart and soul (getting there with the business mind that is needed) too.  To say the least growing up can be hard to do, a second time around.  I already grew up so to speak from when I was a child; learning, discovering, reflecting, all the fun parts of growing up ;)  Now I'm growing up a second time with D.O.G.S., life is so much of a growing phase then it is a grown up phase.  What I am learning from this time around experience, is growing up is going to be there no matter what.  Just like people, organizations aren't necessarily ever going to be all grown up are we?  If you are done growing (metaphorically and literally), you may be done learning and that's no good.  Learning and growing go hand in hand.  Right now setting D.O.G.S. up to grow up well to be a fine lad/lady and hopefully pain free is the goal.  

When I'm eager for D.O.G.S. to grow up, I have to remind myself, who wants to grow up too fast?  I often reminiscence the good old days of childhood.  Enjoy it while it lasts and take extra care in your growth, for tending to everything (i.e. connections, relationships, events, collaborations, budgets, etc) is crucial to your growth as an organization.  Yes, at times you may feel frustrated, impatient, discouraged, among other feelings about why aren't I (your organization) growing up faster?   What does that look like anyway?  It's different for every group/organization.  What's important to remember is growing up is hard to do.  Accept it and be mindful of that, while you work on actually growing up.  I know it's one of my opportunities to work on as a founder, board member, interested party, and supporter of D.O.G.S.  

Another blog edition of a little view into my world of "running a non profit".   Thanks for reading!

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