“Nobody’s perfect” is an important concept to keep in mind as social workers. I feel like “nobody’s perfect” should be a daily mantra that social workers say repeatedly for a lot of reasons. Foremost, this notion helps us to meet clients where they are at, wherever that may be, while we provide services. Sometimes clients are in the pre-contemplation phase of the empowerment process and that’s okay…nobody’s perfect. In fact, everybody is imperfect. We can challenge clients’ and maybe encourage their growth across the stages of change. However, this must be done without judgement and with the acknowledgement that mistakes are simply a part of growing pains.
Growing pains are actually an acute part of not just our physical, but also emotional existence as well. This is true for the social workers charged with service provisions. We simply don’t just jump into our profession knowing all the answers. Indeed, most practicing social workers will tell you, there is never one right answer to any social work issue. Rather, we must engage fully in every situation. We maximize and sometimes overburden our mental faculties, trying to allocate funds, advocating for clients, challenging individuals/communities/systems, and more with limited resources. How on earth is a child protective service caseworker supposed to not make a single mistake with a caseload of 45 families in severe need? It’s bound to happen. Even for those of us that are lucky to have small caseloads, mistakes happen because life is messy at times and because nobody is perfect. Social workers it’s okay to make mistakes, so long as the mistakes do little or no harm to our clients, which is what typically happens. Everybody is imperfect and mistakes help us grow. Truly nobody is perfect. I mean some people might seem perfect, but the truthfully nobody is. I was recently thinking to myself Anna Kendrick is perfect. She acts and sings. She is beautiful, funny, and nice. She has enough money to donate and buy pretty clothes at the same time. She even married Jake Gyllenhaal (okay so it was just in a film, but still I watched her marry him). And she has written and published her first novel. I have to admit that I was jealous of her when I found out that she has a book that is finished and published. Okay, I was also jealous when I was watching End of Watch too, but I’ve never been very good at staying jealous. I usually can’t stay jealous for no longer than five minutes. My excitement for life and how good things make the world better always wins over. Those great talents, extraordinary gifts, and the genius displayed by others are life-affirming and they make me happy. Furthermore nobody’s perfect, not even Anna Kendrick. Everybody’s bodily excretions smell bad, including hers, mine, and yours. The last time I checked, the only time my bathroom smells like roses, is when I decide to light a candle. I don’t know Anna Kendrick personally obviously, but I’m certain that woman has flaws. We all do. My gosh, I could fill a library with all of my flaws. I mean there’s just too many to even begin a list. For example, like the time I ranted about a racist soccer moms who think it’s okay to have a confederate flag on her white soccer mom minivan, during a phone interview. Who does that? Me, obviously because like you, Anna Kendrick, and everyone else in this world, I’m not perfect. Everybody is imperfect. Long story short nobody is perfect. And in all honesty it’s not just our gifts that glorify the world, it’s our imperfections too.
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