It’s tough finding the time and the money to go to conferences like Youthwork the Conference. There’s so much to do in youth work and so little of both these vital resources, why should you even consider investing in yourself? Isn’t investing in your youth work a much bigger priority? How can you even defend being gone for a few days when your to-do list is overflowing?
As contradictory as it may seem, investing in yourself is actually the best investment you can make in your youth work.
You see, youth work isn’t primarily about time, or even about money. It’s about people. People like you who have dedicated (even part of) their lives to reach out to young people wherever they are. You can have all the money in the world, you can even have great facilities or loads of time, but without passionate, dedicated youth workers you can’t accomplish anything.
The thing is, you can’t stay a passionate dedicated youth worker if you don’t invest in yourself. You’ll run out of fuel if you don’t take the time to refuel, reload and re-energize.
You need new inspiration.
You need encouragement.
You need new friends.
You need to know you’re not alone.
You need to be seen and heard.
You need to relax.
You need to reconnect with God.
You need to reconnect with yourself.
That’s why investing in yourself is of such crucial importance. As a youth worker, this should be a continuous priority. Acknowledge the importance and plan ahead to book and attend conferences, schedule blocks of time to read or go to a retreat. Find a mentor or a coach and plan bi-weekly or monthly sessions to talk and offload. Make time to rest, to relax and to reload. It’s not an indulgence. It’s a necessity.
If you don’t make investing in yourself a priority, your youth work will suffer. Not in the short run, but in the long run for sure. You’ll lose energy, focus and motivation. You’ll get discouraged and disheartened. You might even quit in the end because it’s just become too much.
Investing in yourself is the best long-term investment you can make in your youth work. Make it a priority and don’t let what’s urgent right now come between what’s important in the long run.
Rachel Blom is a veteran youth worker with experience in several countries and in several roles. She’s currently focused on equipping youth leaders worldwide via her blog www.youthleadersacademy.com Rachel lives in the USA with her family.