The Necessity of Joy
One of the highlights of my career has been mentoring people who are new to their careers and/or violence prevention work. I knew when I was founding JT Consulting that I would offer coaching and supervision to organizations that needed support onboarding new violence prevention educators. I knew this was a necessary part of my business for a few important reasons:
Many domestic and sexual violence organizations are deeply committed to prevention and have experienced high rates of employee turnover since the pandemic and may not have someone in a leadership position that has the capacity (program directors are often supervising multiple programs including crisis response) and/or a background in prevention education that would enable a successful onboarding process for someone who is new to the work.
People who are drawn to professions in the sexual and domestic violence field often have personal connections to the work- both past and present. Prevention educators are learning content and skills to facilitate dialogue, foster intrinsic motivation, and leave program participants with tangible tools to address violence in their own lives. More often than not, as new prevention educators are learning the curricula they will be delivering, they are making personal connections to their own lives and experiences. When I’m supervising someone, I make this an explicit part of our work together; the sooner we can cultivate an awareness of how this work impacts us personally, the better able we will be able to do the work professionally and do it sustainably. And I want this movement- and the people who make up this movement- to be sustainable and supported.
This work gives me immense joy. That’s it. That’s the reason.
I was recently asked by someone new to this field if I had any advice for their career planning. I told them to pay close attention to what brings them joy in their work. To spend some time collecting data about what lights them up. And as they are making decisions in the future about their career growth, to follow their joy.
Howard Thurman said, “Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” I have heard this quote countless times, but it took me years to fully understand it. I used to think suffering was a necessary part of trauma focused work. I would purposely dim my light, wear clothes that were ill fitting to my job, work constantly and never fully disengage even when I was away from the office. I thought my suffering was a badge of honor- a demonstration of my commitment. It took me a long time- too long- to realize that if I was suffering, even if I believed it was in service to others, all I was doing was creating more suffering in this world. It didn’t serve the communities and survivors I was working with to be overworked and overtired (and let’s be honest, poorly dressed). I was actually more likely to cause harm if I began to numb or develop compassion fatigue.
If I am dedicated to creating more joy and abundance for others, I have to recognize how my own attachment to suffering and a scarcity mindset were antithetical to what I was working to achieve. For me, violence prevention work is grounded in a belief and a hope in our capacity- individually and collectively- to heal and make real and lasting change. I cannot facilitate change if I have not allowed myself to experience it. I cannot cultivate the possibility of joy for others if I don’t think I deserve to feel it.
Sexual and domestic violence work is hard and meaningful work. And it can be full of connection, conversation, and laughter. At JT Consulting, our ability to facilitate a memorable and impactful training or to develop an effective and productive partnership is intricately connected to our ability to share in our humanness, our vulnerability, our moments of levity. To effectively promote healthy relationships in our communities we must embody them in our work.
Interested in how you can find more joy in your work? Want to know how JT Consulting can partner with you and support your team? Reach out to schedule a “Learn about us” call. We can’t wait to meet you.
