BLOG PODS #14 - Meaning in the Work
INTRODUCTION
Years ago when I first started blogging, I read a book by Michael Hyatt called ‘Platform.’ One of things he says in there is:
‘If you’ve lost your way, maybe you’ve forgotten your ‘why.’
The toll
The work many of us do—helping troubled kids—is immensely demanding on multiple fronts. Like any profession, it can be physically exhausting. But the challenges extend far beyond that.
Some of the things we hear, read about and witness can be upsetting (sometimes even traumatic)
* Emotional Fatigue: Engaging with children at an emotional level can lead to significant emotional exhaustion.
* Exposure to Trauma: Hearing about, reading about and witnessing distressing events can be deeply unsettling and sometimes traumatic.
* Endless Challenges: The continuous influx of new children and families, each with unique problems, can be disheartening. It may feel like the challenges are unending.
* Perceived Ineffectiveness: The persistent presence of conflict, negative news and distressing situations can make it seem like our efforts are making no difference.
* Ongoing Struggles: The cumulative effect of these challenges can be overwhelming and discouraging.
As a result, we may find ourselves feeling drained and adrift. This sense of exhaustion and confusion is a common experience in our field.
Reconnecting with your ‘why’
Reflecting on over 30 years in social work (and a few years in youth work before that), I’ve encountered moments where staying focused and motivated was particularly difficult. The cumulative stress of the job can take its toll.
One of the things that’s helped me regroup and get going again has been returning to Michael Hyatt’s simple phrase:
If you’ve lost your way, maybe you’ve forgotten your ‘why.’
Having a clear ‘why’—a sense of meaning and purpose behind our work—has been a source of solace and encouragement for me for years now.
Viktor Frankl
A few months ago I read a book called, ‘Man’s Search for Meaning,’ by Viktor Frankl. He was medical doctor who specialised in psychiatry and neurology.
During world war 2, Frankl and his family were deported from Austria to the concentration camps. By the time Viktor was released in 1945, not only had he suffered unimaginable horrors in Auschwitz and Dachau, but he was left alone in the world - his pregnant wife, both his parents and his brother all perished.
Frankl’s book, Man’s Search for Meaning, summarises his reflections on life in the camps and his logotherapy, which evolved from his experiences.
A central tenet of logotherapy is that the primary drive in human beings is to find meaning in life, rather than the pursuit of pleasure (as suggested by Freud) or power (as suggested by Adler).
Meaning is everything (read the book- it really is brilliant).
Now, I’m not saying for one minute that our work - any work for that matter - is remotely like spending years in a concentration camp! But the lessons Viktor Frankl learned speak to our challenges, too.
* Transcending Hard Times: Having a reason to persevere can help us rise above the difficulties we face.
* Purposeful Work: A clear sense of purpose makes our work more manageable, even in challenging times.
* Renewed Energy: Our ‘why’ can provide the motivation and strength needed when we feel depleted.
My ‘why’
In 1982, I sat in the back of a police car having been a naughty boy. Not that naughty, really. But enough for a police officer to pull me off a bus and chuck me into his car for a bollocking! He demanded that I apologise or he’d arrest me and we’d meet again in court.
Needless to say, I apologised.
But what if I hadn’t? What if I hadn’t possessed the common sense, or the clear-mindedness, or the basic intelligence to be able to apologise? Put another way, what if I’d had a childhood fraught with abuse, trauma and neglect, such that telling him to ‘f**k off’ was a more natural instinct?
Things would’ve turned out very differently.
For me, working with troubled kids always reminds me of this situation. The over-riding thought being, ‘there but for the grace of God, go I.’
In other words, had my upbringing been different, my life might have taken a very different turn in that moment. My relationships, employability, parenting, future prospects… everything, could’ve been compromised, had things spiralled downwards from there. But they didn’t.
There, but for the grace of God, go I.
Objectify it
One of my friends and colleagues, Dr Tricia Skuse, takes her clinical psychology trainees through an exercise where she asks them to think about why they want to do the job - their ‘meaning,’ if you like.
Then she asks them to think of an object that represents that meaning.
The idea is that when they start to experience some of the challenges listed above, they can look at the object and remind themselves about why they do what they do.
Final thoughts
I have a little leather cross hanging just above my desk. Every time I look at it, I think of that phrase. It keeps me focused. It helps me keep going. It helps me to keep keeping going when things get tough.
That’s my ‘why.’
What’s yours?
See you in the next one.
More information:
Some of these are ‘affiliate links’ - this means I get a small reward if you buy something, but it won’t cost you anything extra!
* BOOK: Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World by Michael Hyatt - (link)
* BOOK: Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl - (link)
* BOOK: Looking After No.1 - Self-Care for People Working with Troubled Children by Jonny Matthew (link)
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©️ Jonny Matthew 2024
