[1118] But, Like, What Do You *Do,* Exactly?

My first instinct is that this will sound like an errant complaining session. I hope that's not the case, but I don't know yet.

Very bluntly, I do not believe we give a shit. I don't think we care about each other. I don't think we look for ways to account for our worst tendencies and behavior. I don't think we have any instinct or take any time to denote what those worst instincts and tendencies may be. I think we carry on each day essentially apologizing for the way things currently are and we presume will always be. It's suffer, share meme, desperately look for an out in the form of an unfulfilling vacation or expensive toy that never fills the void.

Now, none of that description matters to me. I don't need "us" to give a shit in order for me to. If I think we live in an insane system that is greedy, tired, and deliberately blind, I created a way to live in contrast and work to scale that up. That's all well and good and easy to understand.

But, I am still a cog in the overall system. I need those people who control the money, or who work for the institutions, or who consider themselves as shit-givers with their own agenda on how to address or fix anything to understand where I'm coming from and compliment my effort.

I, literally, could talk or write for hours about the impact I've had on the people I've worked with. I could do the same in talking about Hussain and his clients. It doesn't fit in "neat" 5-minute videos. It doesn't have a fancy program name. In fact, the more I try to elevator-pitch it, the cheaper it will register and the less you'll understand it. Why? People are complex. The nature of fixing their issues is not something you should pretend is happening in a back-of-napkin-esc kind of calculation.

Also, the things people need and praise are fundamentally abstract. If you love that I "hold you accountable," how does that translate as a specific line on a grant application? Seriously, do you have any idea? Because I can claim all day that is the nature of the feedback I receive, but is that a "specific outcome" the money wants to see?

I saw a work-a-holic get better at structuring his day so he could spend more time with his kids.

I saw a client stop speeding on his drive home from work and go to a concert in Texas he never would have previously.

I've seen a dozen people start making lists to help them stop getting overwhelmed.

I've cleaned hoarder homes.

I've seen people lose weight and start hobbies as we focused on self-care.

I've seen people bridge conversations with family regarding chronic stressors.

We've helped many people not lose their children to the state.

I've helped give people the courage to taper down or off their Suboxone.

I've connected people with resources to get home supplies, baby stuff, and emergency funds to account for bills.

I've provided ways of breathing and topics for writing about that people report back helped them stop spiraling.

I've given people ways of engaging their children that allow for conversation and avoiding pointed judgment.

I've connected people to mindful practices that encouraged everything from drinking more water to refraining from yelling at their family.

I've helped people budget and get a direction out of credit card debt.

I've helped people set boundaries with their work environments.

I've helped people realize that difficulties they're having today coincided with traumatic moments or shifts from their past.

I've helped people make career shifts and build confidence in creating things they enjoy artistically.

I've helped people joke and laugh more deliberately.

I've talked people down and got services to people who were suicidal.

I've built and organized meetings/teams to address the needs of children suffering the lack of communication and organization.

I've supervised visits and driven 5+ hours for months just for one family in service to them being able to see their children consistently.

I've been counseling for functionally free to ensure the incentives and expectations can stay pure.

We've helped people get off probation earlier than they anticipated.

I've helped people understand and drop the guilt of things they did as children to survive growing up in the unhealthy environments they had.

I've graduated people through RWI and helped them get released from prison sooner.

I build confidence. I make it okay to talk about chronic and painful things in ways that start to feel accessible and like things you can be accountable to.

I've helped people navigate the DCS landscape and know their rights.

I've helped people stop qualifying what they say or think with, "I know that sounds dumb" or "I'm such an idiot," or "I'm sorry" about things they shouldn't be sorry for.

I cheerlead, remind, redirect, and celebrate - consistently.

I show people what it means to be approaching things in a deliberate, non-judgmental, and accountable way that is better than chronically complaining or getting complacent.

I know the difference in what it feels like and practically when you either are working on yourself, being honest about your constraints and strengths, or aren't. I clue you into your contradictory nature and point you in the direction of what it looks like to feel better and do more than you currently take for granted. THERE IS NO FUCKING BUMPER STICKER FOR THIS!