I have had to make some tough decisions and learned some difficult lessons once I decided to enter the peer workforce. This was one of the first ones I had to learn...
I know peer work is tough. We have counties with no peers on the map. We have areas that haven't heard of peers. We know we are not paid what we are worth. Many of us are struggling to break free from disability. Some have records and a history we wish we could flush. Many of us long for a full-time job with credibility....(I got it).
In spite of that, there are no short-cuts. I learned that the only way to the other side where peer excellence lives is through the middle.
Adversity, set-backs, road-blocks, bridges-out and the like are all a part of the journey to peer excellence.
Excellence does not mean perfection. It does not mean the heights of efficiency or as some would postulate effectiveness. Excellence is achieved as we learn and grow into our own personal greatness.
In order to do that, I had to decide “warts and all” to be at home with myself, to be comfortable “in my own skin” and see failure and adversity as part of the package.
We as peers are professionals. This is not a part-time sport for amateurs. This is a journey. Peer work is a body of knowledge and a craft. Every day we must suit up, saddle up and RIDE.
Our work is hard. It is a practice to be learned, tweaked and honed. One bad day is nothing. Ten bad days are nothing…if and only if you know that you are in this for the long-haul.
I have been recently tempted to peak over the hill to see if the grass is greener. Conclusion: the grass is green where my two feet are. Sometimes we’ve got to bloom where we have been planted.
No, I am not saying that you don’t quit. There are great times to quit. Read Seth Godin’s short little book “The Dip”. It will let you know if you are at a dead-end or if it’s time to lean in.
It’s “through the middle” guys. We’re in it for the long haul. It’s time to bloom, flourish and unfold once we have drawn our line in the sand and placed our flag on the hill.
I learned you have to Pack up or Lean-In. There is no middle ground.
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