This article was super interesting to me. As someone who has an MSW and also knows a lot of people who have MBA’s it struck me as odd that we are just now connecting these two degrees. Personally, I think that the intersection of social work and business would produce more well rounded professionals with better people skills and a better understanding of personality theories. I’ve read other articles that have stated that getting an MBA is becoming so popular that it’s weight has often been disregarded. The truth of the matter is that many business people could use social work skills just like social workers could use more business skills. From my perspective, I think that learning how to start and run a non-profit and having the necessary tools to help it to succeed would be a good thing for social workers. Being in a profession that is thankless and where you rarely actually make the salary that you’re worth, an additional degree could give the needed edge to reach a higher socioeconomic status. As someone who appreciates education that is practical and gives one the skills necessary to succeed in their chosen field, I think that the MSW-MBA degree will become quite popular because it’s the best of both worlds. The combination of the skills sets in these disciplines will be something that will be highly coveted in coming years.
Author Archives
Discipline
We all have dealt with discipline at some point in our lives. Whether it was an authority figure establishing boundaries or finishing a an assignment that was due the next day, discipline was involved. When children are born we task the parents with providing the discipline needed in order to ensure that they are well-behaved. We expect parents to enforce boundaries so we aren’t inconvenienced by the child throwing a tantrum in the grocery store. As we grow older it is expected that we live with a level of discipline that fits within societal norms. We get up everyday and go to school or work like clockwork. We systematically save in order to put a decent down payment on a house so that we can get a lower rate. This is pretty standard discipline. However, there’s the daily discipline that goes beyond daily norms. It’s the kind of discipline that many people never bother to attain because it requires a certain mindset where your wants take a backseat to your larger goals. This means that sometimes you have to do what’s best for you despite the fact that it goes against what you want. You have to tell yourself “it’s for your own good” and make hard decisions instead of those that are emotionally based. You make hard choices about relationships that are going nowhere. You leave the familiar in order to make room for something else. You recognize opportunities and take them. You don’t let distractions take you away from what you know needs to happen and what you ned to make happen. This is the mark of a mature adult. The ability to plan long term and consistently work toward something with a single minded purpose instead of settling for short term items and smaller wants means that you’ve grown to be more disciplined. That’s a good thing.
Stuck with him
One thing that I’ve admired is women who voluntarily become totally 100% financially dependent on their husbands in the early stages of marriage. Something about that makes me shiver inside. While it could be an expression of true love to go into a marriage without any resources of your own, it’s a scary thing. They say that the area of conflict in most marriages is money. It would seem to me that there would be added stress in that department when one person is making all the money ALL the time. I’ve met women who want with all their hearts to leave their husbands but they can’t because they don’t have any way to support themselves. While there may be housing options available, many do not want that experience. They don’t have the resources needed to sustain a decent quality of life, and many times it’s vastly different than the one that they had with their husband. While some may argue that keeping finances separate and having your own money goes against the “togetherness” concept of marriage, I think it needed in quite a few circumstances. You aren’t planning for failure but you are leaving room for the humanity of both people. Relationships and marriages fail all the time. And while we all want to believe ours is the exception, wouldn’t it be smart to have a backup plan just in case it isn’t? Dropping several socioeconomic classes because you had to leave despite not having adequate resources is a hard experience to have. But it can be avoidable. Not in all situations, but in some.
Water thoughts
I’ve wrote quite a few times about how much I like to travel. One thing that I enjoy as a part of my travels is going to the beach or a body of water. I remember once driving with a friend who explained that how they liked bodies of water as well. Sitting on a beach can be one of the most relaxing experiences. There’s something comforting about a nice sea breeze, sunshine, and a good book. Lakes and rivers are a close second to the ocean. It’s all about having an environment of peace. The getting away from it all. The escaping the monotony of daily life and enjoying the simple things like a large body of water away from what you may be used to. Cultivating a habit of enjoying the simple things in life is rewarding because it reminds you to smell the roses. Sitting by a body of water can make you contemplate your life in detail in an environment that is positive. It’s pretty hard NOT to relax when you’re there. At least for a few moments.
Sorry
I was having a conversation with someone this weekend and we were discussing how the musicality and quality of Brian’s music is often overlooked. It’s rare to have artists who can not only write great music but also perform songs in a way that draws out emotions. All that being said, I think that this has to be one of the best “I’m Sorry” songs EVER written. Even the melody seems apologetic. The words are heartfelt and convey a sense of responsibility along with the request to make things right. While this song is not one of the most popular of Brian’s songs, it definitely deserves to be. Enough people mess up in relationships to use this song 100 times over. I wonder how many relationships have been positively impacted by this song?
To care or not to care
I don’t know why but I really like this picture. While it seems a bit harsh, I think that there’s a practical application that can be taken away. I’ve seen people post the smallest details of their lives in various forms of social media. These actions have had my questioning how many people actually care about that stuff. While the message in the picture can be interpreted in several ways, it was a reminder to me that many times it’s pointless to look for constant validation for things that should already be occurring. You should not expect kudos for being independent and paying bills on time. Those actions are signs of mature adults. The problem is when people start to crave the approval and then become depressed when they don’t get it. Sometimes you have to work harder without expecting others around to understand or care. While that may sound harsh, basing your life and your goals on the approval of others in the hope that they’ll eventually care isn’t smart.
Drive and motivation
These two concepts have been at the forefront of my mind these past few days. I love drive. It’s that inner feeling that there’s something bigger waiting for you. It’s knowing that despite your current circumstances, you won’t stay down forever. It’s the knowledge that there’s always something to push towards, a goal or idea that has to be accomplished. I’ve noticed that many people have drive but can lack the motivation to follow through. People tend to pick something outside of themselves as a source of motivation. The desire to grow and empire for one’s children or grandchildren or even the idea of making a difference in the world that is tangible. But what happens when the drive is present but the source of motivation is lacking? When you have the drive and ambition needed to be successful but you can’t find something or even an idea bigger than yourself that is a source of motivation? While drive can take you far, motivation can take you further because it’s all about your mindset. What prompts you to work hard and do what others won’t in order to be successful? The truth of the matter is that it’s harder to be successful without a good source of motivation. Whether you’re working for your future grandchildren or grinding because you want your kids to experience more than you did, motivation is what affects longevity. When you get tired, it’s the image or the goal that makes you push through because it’s something that you want. Drive can do this as well, but many times it’s just sheer determination because the motivation isn’t present.
Living in the negative
Emotional needs are something that many people ignore. The five love languages can be ways that we have our emotional needs met. There’s a concept that Gary Chapman refers to as a love tank. The idea is that we function better when our emotional needs are bring met and our love tanks are full. Chapman asserts that one of the main problems in relationships is that couples don’t do the necessary things to ensure that their partner’s love tank is full. That being said, many people live in the negative in this context. This means that they exist by living off bare minimums emotionally. So their love tank is never full. Instead it’s just a little above empty and stays that way. The almost empty tank becomes their baseline because they’ve had to adjust multiple times. They are literally living in the negative because the amount of emotional needs being met is incongruent with the amount of emotional needs that exist. And this is one of the reasons people can be in relationships and friendships without ever shaking the alone feeling.
The other side of lonely part II
First, I guess I should preface this by saying that this is a continuation (ironically) from the post I wrote exactly a year ago today. For those who haven’t read the first post and are too busy to search my archives, the basic assertion of the post was that sometimes our loneliest moments in life are when we are happy and don’t have anyone to share our happiness with. Fast forward to today, exactly a year later. In the last two weeks or so I’ve experienced the much anticipated results of the past two years of work towards various professional goals. The word “work” in the context pretty much means blood, sweat, and tears. While in some circles, these results might be called accomplishments, the truth is that they have come because of a consistent, dedicated, and focused effort toward goals. Fighting through lack of sleep, feeling stuck, and even being inconvenienced because I had priorities that I was not willing to budge on. While those days have not ended, I’ve reached a rest stop of sorts on the highway of my life. A chance to take a breather, refresh and reflect on the progress made towards the destination. As someone who works frequently with people who know how to talk a smooth game, I’m really big on the understanding piece. Anyone can say “congratulations,” but it’s a totally different thing to say that word with an informed understanding of the work and dedication that was necessary to reach that point. Words of affirmation or endorsement seem rather shallow when looking at it from that perspective. Nevertheless, it’s important to remember that many times these words of affirmation come from a good place and good gestures shouldn’t be ignored. Regardless of whether or not they are informed words of affirmation. However, it’s my opinion that while congratulations and words of affirmation after accomplishments can be great, there’s no substitute for these same words coming from someone (or some ones) who have an informed understanding of the journey as a whole. People who know the amount of work that was put into the endeavor and the setbacks, stressors, and discouragements that were overcome in order to make the goal a reality.
20 Ways to Know You’re Succeeding
The title of this article really caught my attention. Mostly because I know a lot of people (myself included) who sometimes doubt their progress. The thing about progress is that when it happens really slowly it’s hard to tell that it’s actually occurring. One thing that stood out to me was the fact that you know you’re succeeding when you can celebrate the successes of others. So many people are unable to genuinely congratulate and give compliments because they are jealous or envious of the person they are congratulating. The thing about this is that it’s pretty easy to tell that someone isn’t genuine when they are congratulating you. Also, the one about goals you’ve accomplished stood out to me. It’s great to have goals but it’s even nicer to actually have them fulfilled. Overall, the article was a pretty good read. While I didn’t necessarily agree with all 20 points, there were some interesting concepts that made you think.
Alisha's Angle 