Do You Feel Stuck?
If you would like to listen to the podcast episode on this topic of security and guarantees, click the appropriate link at the bottom of this article
Ever since doing a poll, a few months ago now about whether others, especially social workers, would encourage their loved ones to become a social worker. What has remained on my mind, is that somewhere between 67 - 79% of social workers would not recommend social work to someone they cared for.
Based on that poll (431 votes) it means that somewhere around three quarters of social workers are unhappy with their position or job...and that represents an awful lot of unhappy or dissatisfied people.
Now in my view, no matter how professional you are, sooner or later, that level of dissatisfaction is going to trickle down and affect your practice, or the work you undertake with your clients.
The problem is that your unhappiness does not really matter to your employers, other professionals, the courts and the public.
It should matter - at least to people who declare that they care for children and vulnerable people.
But the reality is that it doesn't.
So, you have a choice to make, you can continue in the position you're in, and remain there for years, whilst your dissatisfaction slowly, but inexorably eats away at you.
This is probably what most people do, remaining in social work because they can't see a clear way out.
Maybe you'll go for another job, in the hope that that will put you in a better position, and if you get it, maybe it will for a while, but the problem, as I see it is with the profession, or what is expected of you in the profession.
Alternatively, you can make a decision to do something else, something new and exciting, but at the same time, scary and very risky, given your financial situation and responsibilities.
As I've said, and consistent with human nature, most people will remain where they are, doing work that no longer, or long ago, ceased to satisfy them, due to the uncertainty and risks associated with trying something new.
Last week I wrote an article titled Guarantees, and in the article, one of the main points discussed was that we can learn so much from babies and young children. In the article I gave the example of watching a baby learning to walk.
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Falling down again and again, and hurting herself in the process, but never allowing her falls to be recognised as failure.
Because you never actually fail until you stop trying - that's the only time you fail.
Each fall provides her with an incremental increase of progress towards her ultimate goal.
Now, you're probably thinking, that's fine Michael, but I can't afford the time it takes in between those falls and being successful, given my financial and other responsibilities.
I get it.
Really I do. It's a dilemma!
But can you afford the price of regret, in loss of opportunity and possible satisfaction, loss of health and wellbeing, and the greatest, most priceless cost of all, the loss of time that you can never get back.
Time marches on relentlessly, it does not wait for you, or care how you feel.
Your life and your happiness will never mean more to others than it does to you, so if there's one piece of advice I could offer you, it is this: 'fall faster and keep on falling until you succeed.
Remember, it's impossible to fail, as long as you keep going.
It's a sombre message, but the worst possible time to regret something is when you can no longer change it!