So you’re all excited or worked up about some issue, campaign or candidate and you decide it’s time to volunteer and try to make a difference? That’s great. But there’s always a risk that you’ll be overzealous, jump in to anything and everything with both feet and soon get burned out.
When that happens, you won’t have much of an impact on anything.
If you really want to make a difference over the long haul, you’ll look (and think) before you leap and not make commitments that overwhelm you or that you just get tired of.
Five tips for avoiding political burnout:
1) Know why you’re involved
Knowing “why” you’re involved in something goes a long way to keeping you involved. It’s that thing that will keep you motivated. If the “why” isn’t enough to make you want to “do”, then “don’t.
If you don’t know “why”, you either need to figure it out or do something else.
2) Be committed
Commitment can keep you motivated when things get boring. That’s why it’s so important that the “why” is something that truly motivates you.
3) Be positive
Attitude is everything as they say, and it’s not much different with political volunteering. If you don’t stay positive about what you’re doing, you won’t last long.
This is why you should be careful about “what” you volunteer to do. Make sure it’s the kind of thing that you can do and still keep a good attitude. As a result you’ll be more productive for the things you care about.
4) Be patient and persistent
If you’re not patient, you’ll probably get a bad attitude, won’t last long and won’t be able to keep at it long enough to make a difference. Remember, things don’t always run on your schedule, especially in politics. Avoid frustration and you’ll be more effective.
5) Recruit others
Many hands = light work. The more people you get involved to work with you, the more you can get done…and the less you have to carry on your own shoulders.
More conservatives getting involved means good things for the conservative movement.
The purpose of this is not to discourage you from getting involved and volunteering, but to get you to make sure that you volunteer in a way that you’re more likely to enjoy – and keep you involved in the long run.
Remember, political burnout doesn’t help anybody, much less impact the things you care about.
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(Get more tips like these in my “Grassroots 101 Training Series“. Check it out!)
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