Social work is done behind the scenes, on paper, in homes, in courts, behind doors. That’s why we love this year’s theme to elevate social work. To tell the world not only how social work impacts the world, but to elevate the social workers themselves, acknowledging the dedication and small acts that create great shifts one connection at a time.
To keep you motivated and in recognition of your impacts, we pulled together a few of the characteristics that people positively impacting our world embrace.
You dedicate yourselves to your why.
Social work is not for the faint of heart. It draws people that felt a calling. Remembering that pull when the work gets hard takes courage. Simon Sinek inspires people to create a why statement, “a statement of your value at work as much as it is the reason your friends love you. We don’t have a professional WHY and personal WHY. We are who we are wherever we are.” Startwithyourwhy.com offers guidance on creating personal, impactful why statements that will serve you to recall your purpose.
You strive for continuous improvement and betterment.
Putting the oxygen mask on yourself first may not come easy in this role, but it’s essential to take care of your needs first, even if they don’t on the surface appear to have a direct influence on your work. Seeing the world from different angles gives us new perspectives.
Brene Brown in Braving the Wilderness speaks about giving ourselves permission to be better, to be whatever we want to be. Another tool to work with is to write down what you give yourself the permission to be. No reasons or justification needed.
I give myself permission to succeed.
I give myself permission to make time for learning new things.
I give myself permission to be happy.
You maintain hope and perseverance.
Remaining hopeful is not seeing a situation as it is, but rather the way it can be. Leading with curiosity and an open mind will allow your mind to stay active, see new opportunities and bring excitement to your life, which will allow you to keep going when the going gets tough.
You long for the journey.
There are no shortcuts. Social work requires time and micro incremental progresses.
“The bottom line: I believe that you have to walk through vulnerability to get to courage, therefore . . . embrace the suck. I try to be grateful every day and my motto right now is “Courage over comfort.” - Brene Brown
Seeing the details in your life and practicing gratitude are two daily practices to turn to to support you.
You share what you know.
Enabling others to expand upon your insights keeps the momentum up. We know you’re doing great work, let others know. Letting others know is also a reminder and celebration of your accomplishments too!
In honor of social workers, we commit to spread the good work you do. We are grateful to your service and humbled to support you on the great mission of uplifting the human spirit.