Keeping My Fire-Lessons Learned

Last week I wrote about my current struggle in maintaining the passion that brought me to the sector. The comments and feedback have been wonderful and really pushed me to reflect more on what I do and why I do it.  Here are a few things I now know to keep in mind:

Be deliberate about keeping and adding fire to your work:

I think my biggest mistake is assuming that my passion does not need TLC.  But it’s easy to get caught up in your professional work and get out of touch with your original inspiration for pursuing a career in social change. So take time to nurse your soul and get in touch with YOUR mission.  Who or what inspires you?  Why did you get into this work in the first place?

One thing that I enjoyed doing at a former job was actually talking to co-workers about our cause and our role in it.  We shared personal experiences, opportunities to connect with others, and interesting information about our issue.  In fact, talking to people—whether it is at work, at a conference, or even at home—about what’s moves and inspires them, then making connections really helps you see the importance of what you do.

Elizabeth Clawson also made a great recommendation in the comments of my last post:  “Maybe one solution is to work where we can, lifeless or not, and keep up with our passions on the side. Contracting, volunteering, blogging…there are lots of opportunities for that kind of balance.”

Rewrite your job description:

In my last post a commenter who also works in development described their work in a very powerful way:

“I don’t raise money and resources: I help inspire executives to get involved; I help provide the funds that keep the organization going; we don’t do speaking engagements, we are building passion and support for our cause and the cause of our clients; I don’t write grants–I’m inviting foundations to take a hard look at an issue area and make a significant and impactful investment in our mission.”

Sometimes a fresh perspective is all it takes to keep you energized and committed to your work.  What are the larger implications of your work for the cause you are committed to and your organization’s mission?

Focus on the cause not just the sector:

Colleen Dilenschneider wrote a brilliant piece about how Gen Y knows that social change is not limited to one sector. I couldn’t agree with that more.  In fact spending time in the nonprofit sector has shown me just how connected the sectors are, especially in a field like education.  Each sector may engage an issue differently but the trick is to focus on the change you want to see regarding your cause, what you believe is the best method of getting there, and how you want to be involved in that process.

Move around if you need to:

I got into development after spending a lot of time doing direct service work. I needed to look at my cause from a different angle while tapping into my desire to be more behind the scenes doing work with a larger impact.  That said I am still amazed at how many ways there are to engage in social change work.  Whatever skills, experience, time, and interest you have there are so many ways to get involved.  This diversity is exciting and compelling—there is always a way to make a difference.

What do you do to keep your passion?