#BlogLife70 - You really think you have what it takes? Update

I am getting a lil sick and tired of people thinking that anyone can be a supporter and it is easy breezy work. Newsflash it isn't. 

You have to be patient, sympathetic, understanding and empathetic all at once. You have to curb your instincts to give advice or shout. 

You have to possess an extremely high tolerance for the repeat offenders who range from saying very little to those that drain the life out of you.

Then you have to deal with people that attack you, insult you, take you for fools and those that goad you because they just know they can get away with it, time and time again.

You also have to deal with people that need you to say the right thing, for them to open up and be comfortable. Now that time has passed and I have gone from doubting myself to consistently being really good.

I can say that I have a natural affinity for this work. I've been doing it all my life, so it doesn't feel like a job. It's natural. I have one second of.....

"What the hell do I say?"

And then everything clicks into place and my brain can just relay the almost perfect thing that person needs to hear. I don't have a 100% success rate but I am pretty close.

Someone I know heard about what I do and thinks it is the perfect role for them. Pffft. Seriously? I mean do you have rocks in your head?

Did someone hit you with a sledgehammer repeatedly? You have no tolerance for people at all. You are without patience or kindness.

You don't possess any feeling whatsoever. Your life revolves around your needs, not the desires of others. Yet you think, you can do what I do???

Hah!!! That is a joke! How would you deal with someone telling you..

"Go to hell."

"You can't help me, you can't even help yourself."

"I don't like you. I prefer anyone on earth rather than you!"

"Do the world a favour and shut your trap."

You wouldn't!!! You would snap in five seconds and verbally/physically want to assault them. You would take it extremely personally and see it as a character assassination because you deem yourself to be perfect.

Why else would you never improve or reflect back on past transgressions and not fix or vow to do better?

Again to clarify, noone has said any of the above to me but I have had confrontations and dealt with them accordingly and I am someone that doesn't like being backed into a corner. 

I guess my point is think twice before embarking on this type of role if you cannot even be respectful to those around you. You have no business even contemplating a vocation like this.

There is a reason this position has so much turn around. People leave almost immediately or sometime later because of the stress and also the technical difficulties.

Some make the critical mistakes of thinking they are there to be everyone's best friend and fixer. Nope. That isn't the job description.

The worse thing you can do is let someone in need become dependant on you. How would that help them in the long run? They need to find a way to build up their self worth without you.

Also if you are not willing to give any of yourself up to relate to someone feeling misunderstood, then do not apply. It is impossible to not share a lil of your own experiences.

I'm closed off but I have done it and do not regret it because in that moment, people have that ah-ha clarity and you see them smile and their world turns around because they see a whole new perspective.

Support, support and more support. A good day is when someone says their mood is improved. A bad day is when someone says.... This isn't working...