Inspiration

Any fan of the Incredible Hulk knows that adversity only makes him stronger. That's me.

Now, in the Hulk's case, adversity comes in the form of nefarious super villains out to get him: to kill him, or steal his super powers and leave him un-super. As with any super hero, they always make the same mistake: they underestimate his will to win. Worse, they fail to realize that their efforts actually spur him on and make him more powerful - more motivated to succeed, if you will.

I don't have enemies, and nobody's trying to kill me or steal my super powers (at least not as far as I know). Indeed, most of the people I've met in the nonprofit realm are rooting for us here at Naples Social Action, and many of those moral-supporters are actually helping us. Why wouldn't they? After all, our entire mission is to help them!

But I've bumped into a few organizations who don't get what we're about, or who maybe take my enthusiasm as too eccentric for their taste - or who, perhaps, see our desire to bring the community together as a threat to their hegemony.

To be just a tad more specific, three groups have actively decided not to work with us on joint fundraising projects, and one other organization - I've eluded to this one before - has pointedly ignored us. This one is one of several 800-pound gorillas in town, and I think they're afraid of us because we don't need them. They "help" nonprofits, we help nonprofits.... you can see their concern.

Thank you for your lack of support.

I'm the Hulk. With no resistance, I run the risk of mellowing out: when that happens to the Hulk, he relaxes. He goes from giant green monster to mild-mannered Dr. Bruce Banner.

Ah, but when someone tells me I can't do something... that's when I really shine!

I was a terrible student through eighth grade; the fact that my principal and most of my teachers thought that I was a failure inspired me to go to prep school (it was my idea) and I threw myself into my studies; two years later I transferred back to public school, crushed at my A-level and AP classes, graduated near the top of my class, and was off to a top-tier college. Thanks, guys, for underestimating me.

My junior year in high school, I finally qualified for the YMCA Nationals, but I was on the perennial national-champion team, and the coach had to select which qualifiers would travel. I learned I was not on his nationals list, and... let's just say, I made his team. By a lot. His failure to bet on me spurred me on to accomplish great things.

Fast-forward to my thirties. My employer, owner of a private English-language school in Boston, passed on my offer to partner up with her on a new venture I'd created. Spurned, I bided my time, laid my plans, and founded my own school. While not direct competitors with her - Coine Language School serves a different niche - we eat her lunch. If we saw any advantage to it, we'd buy her school. Oops.

Don't bet against me.

So now we're throwing the Animal Lovers' Parade, and two organizations have bowed out of participation: one told me they don't think we can possibly pull it off in two months. Thank God they did! I've got to show them - not that they were wrong in not participating, but that they were wrong, dead wrong, in underestimating my ability to pull it off.

Of course we can make our next venture a success. Of course! But how much better it will be now that I know someone is betting we'll fail.

The Hulk may not be all that smart, but he always wins. Always.


*N.B. - Okay, unlike the Hulk, I suppose I'm pretty bright. And just for the record, we have very good friends leading the United Way and the Wine Festival. These are not the afore-mentioned gorilla.