I'll never work for a nonprofit

It's amazing how many times in life we say "I'll never" and then turn around and do it. Kind of like the time I said I'd never go faster than the speed limit when I was learning how to drive with my parents. What about the time I said I'd never play Monopoly again because one game took 17 hours straight. Not to mention the time I said I'd never read another book that was longer than 100 pages as long as I live.

It seems out of context to compare working for a nonprofit to these other things I said I'd never do or do again.

With the speed limit, I did speed and then I paid $260 for the ticket and defensive driving. Was it a heavy price? Of course, at 17 with no job it was not fun paying it off. What I learned is that you'll get where you're going at the time you're meant to get there. Sometimes you can get away with speeding and other times it can kick your tail.

When we started the infamous 17-hour Monopoly game, none of us anticipated it would take that long. We could have called it quits at any point but honestly it was more about the experience. Though I've only played Monopoly a few times since then I'll always associate the game with those 3 friends and the memories we made.

Nowadays, reading seems to be second nature. If I'm not reading the latest book on leadership, best business practices or the Twilight series - I'm reading newspapers, magazines, blogs because I love to read.

I said I'd never work for a nonprofit after a summer internship of working with a nonexistent budget, taking work home 6 out of 5 working days (yes I know 6 is more than 5, but if you're already in the nonprofit world you understand why I say that), not answering to one boss but an entire board all at once, and the list could go on for another 10,000 words.

Yet at this moment, I wouldn't have it any other way. Marketing in the corporate world doesn't look as appealing. Selling change feels better than selling the latest and greatest gadgets.

So maybe my speeding ticket slowed me down enough to appreciate paying the price for premature assumptions, playing monopoly made me appreciate the power of making memories and reading reminds me of the adventure that we call life and how we are the hero of our own story.

So here's to the next ______ years of working in the nonprofit world - perhaps next time I'll think twice before saying "I'll never" or maybe I won't.