I believe that those of us who are called to impact lives must have a strong calling to do so. I agree with Michell Duncan, that having empathy towards others is crucial in this field. She rejoices saying, “The stories of the people humble me!” It’s evident that this is an intangible reward for her. Also, Linda Williams clearly says that the motivation in this field “is not the money.” She believes that the main characteristic is “caring for others doing this job to make a difference in the world.”
In order to be effective assisting others, a worker must have good interpersonal communication skills that include empathetic listening being genuine and authentic. The people that we serve not only see what we do for them but how we serve them. They are able to sense if we really celebrate their successes expecting our validation most of the time. The relationships we build can have eternal impact on people’s lives. Honestly, I need to continue being mindful and intentional when I coach my participants applying my communication skills. I want to provide my clients time to share their pain and suffering before jumping into possible solutions. Sometimes is a challenge to be effective having good listening skills when time is on the essence.
In addition, making positive interventions in peoples lives is a very rewarding profession that requires having excellent boundaries. We must recognize what is within our own power, and what is our client’s responsibility. This job is not about us. Yes, we do get a pay check and often get to celebrate some triumphs, but in the end the blessing consists in giving selflessly. A healthy social worker is able to separate her personal life from the life of her clients. She will not compare herself to them. She knows she is not the expert; therefore, she is willing to learn from the experiences of the ones she serve. An effective teacher is able to rest during the weekend to have enough energy to interact with her students Monday morning. A thoughtful clinician is intentional about having fun in his own life to be able to establish the safe haven for a needy client when the time comes. A smart counselor will rely on the Holy Spirit when he sees the pain of his client and there is not much he can do. God gets the glory in this process!
If we are able to see how meaningful our contribution is in this chaotic world, we will get up every morning with a smile in our face asking our Father to empower us to encourage others. One of the most beautiful pay offs of my job is to see the blessings being recycled! When I hear students motivating their classmates or I see a dad praising a child, when I hear a wife showing gratitude to her husband, then I know that what I am doing is bearing fruit.
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