Part
of how I continue to nurture my career and engage in self-care is through reading.
To curl up with a good book after a long day, or early on a weekend morning
with a cup of coffee spells a certain kind of heaven for me. Even better if
that book is related to Social Work and reinvigorates the passion and drive I
have for this profession before the start of another busy week. I recently found
such a book and wanted to share it on this blog. While this book is not supervision related, I’m
sharing it with you because it is Social Work related, and of course, there
would be no Social Work supervision without first having Social Work.
During
a recent trip to the library where I conduct the majority of my supervision
sessions I stumbled across the book Imperfect Courage, by Jessica Honegger.
Ms. Honegger is the founder and Co-CEO of Noonday Collection. I confess I had
no idea what this company was prior to reading this book, but I learned that
Noonday Collection is the largest fair-trade accessory brand in the world. So while
you would think this book would be all about building a successful brand and
business (and indeed there is a little of that), it is actually a story about
people, relationships, and following your dreams even when you don’t feel very
brave.
The
reason this book is perfect for Social Workers is because Ms. Honegger takes
the values of the Social Work profession (Dignity and Worth of a Person, Human
Relationships, Integrity, etc…) and uses them to create a company that has
successfully changed thousands of lives around the world. The author did this by
creating a way for people to support themselves and their families via
legitimate paid work. This is a feel-good book that hits at the core of why so
many of us went into the profession, to make the world a better place. Without
spoiling the magic of the story telling this book has to offer its readers,
what I can tell you is that these pages are chalk full of highlightable
passages and phrases like:
“People are made to be loved, not fixed. People are not problems
to be solved. Far better is banishing the us versus them and seeing all people
as part of ourselves.” -pg 159
In
addition to little gems like this, Jessica shares her stories about real life
people in pockets of the world most of us will never know which provides a
level of depth to the words she writers that make her story all the more
magical.
Jessica
is also completely relate-able, humble, and human from start to finish. I was
moved by her writing and could not read this book fast enough. By the end you
are left feeling that Jessica could be one of your colleagues or closet friends
in the fight against poverty and oppression of vulnerable people.
Part
of why this book works is because it’s broken into three parts. Each part explaining how you can change your life, make a difference in the lives of
others, and come out stronger and better for it at the journey’s end. Several
other reasons why this book is appealing to me, and likely others, is because
it’s feminist without being “bra burning;” it’s honest without being harsh; and
it’s passionate without being preachy. In short, it tows the line between gently
inspiring you, and waking you up with a good swift shake.
So
what kind of Social Worker should read this book? This book is for the Social
Worker who wants to leave that nine to five job and open their own business. It’s
for the Social Worker who is in the trenches looking for the hope that says
what they are doing matters. And, it’s for the Social Workers who are also moms
who struggle with being pulled in multiple directions. If any of this sounds
like you, come get your dose of feel good advice that is practical AND usable with Jessica Honegger’s Imperfect Courage. I promise you won’t
be disappointed. I hope you decide to
invest some of your precious self-care time in this book and that you find it
as positive and career affirming as I did.
If
you’ve been reading a great book that has reinvigorated your Social Work career
let us know so we can read it too!
Please leave a comment
and let us know your thoughts on this article. If you liked what you read
please like our blog, besupervised@blogspot.com, or follow us on Facebook (@LISWSupervision),
or on LinkedIn at Be Supervised.
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