What NFL Star J.J. Watt Can Teach Youth Workers

For those of you who don’t watch the NFL, J.J. Watt is a defensive end for the Houston Texans.  He’s also sort of a big deal. In addition to being a very large man who is extremely adept at catching and tackling other men, he is also a funny, gregarious guy. Very marketable. And very marketing savvy.

At the recent Gatorade Athlete of the Year awards, Watt was speaking to a group made up of some of the best high school athletes in the country. He passed along some advice to these students about how they portray themselves on social media. Pay attention to what he says here:

“Read each tweet about 95 times before sending it . .  . Look at every Instagram post about 95 times before you send it. A reputation takes years and years and years to build, and it takes one press of a button to ruin. So don't let that happen to you. Just be very smart about it.”

(http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/13275834/jj-watt-cautions-high-school-athletes-dangers-twitter-instagram)

Wise words of advice for teenagers who find themselves being recruited by colleges all across the country. But maybe even better advice for youth workers.

Look at that last line: “A reputation takes years to build, and one press of a button to ruin.”

So. True.

Most youth workers probably already know this. It’s probably ingrained in many of us. But there are most likely some of us out there whose filters aren’t quit as dialed in as they need to be. As Jesus said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

It only takes one mistake to derail the influence you’ve worked so hard to earn. Think twice (or 95 times) before you hit post.