Goodwill Industries of Kentucky’s Post

Sadly we lost my father Jimmy Gallagher last month. Words can’t describe him and who he was. If knew him you would know. Yesterday me, my mum and wife Sarah walked behind the float for Chapelton Primary school at the Strathaven fair. Which shows us what life is about, family, watching kids grow, having fun and love. Life goes on so here are things we should all listen to and use to move. 1. The less you say, the more your words will matter. 2. Don’t take everything personally. Not everyone thinks about you as much as you do. 3. When you focus on problems, you'll have more problems. When you focus on possibilities, you'll have more opportunities. 4. No matter how much it hurts now, someday you will look back and realize your struggle changed your life for the better. 5. You meet people for a reason. Either you need them to change your life or you're the one that will change theirs. 6. Never be afraid to try something new. Life gets boring when you stay within the limits of what you already know. 7. You’ll will never truly know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory. 8. Once you begin to take note of the things you are grateful for, you begin to lose sight of the things that you lack. 9. If you do not have control over your mouth, you do not have control over your future. 10. Life is a mirror and will reflect back to the thinker what he thinks into it. 11 The only person you have to face in the morning is yourself. Be unbeatable.

This happened 8 months after I left teaching, 8 months after my administration tried to sabotage my career with psychological abuse, 8 months after I got so sick that I couldn't even talk about what happened to me without experiencing shivering and halted speech. All because comments I made the previous year during a staff meeting resulted in the former principal being removed from his position. We gave back our car, our house and sold every wordly possession so we could to start over in a new town only a few hours away. After two months of searching for my next career move I was offered an education manager's position at United Way in Gainesville, Florida. It was 11K pay less than what I made the previous year and 20K less than what I made when I worked at the charter school. But it was an opportunity! The work I got to do at UW was life changing 🙌🏿🙌🏾🙌🏽🙌🏼🙌🏻. Then another incompetent boss showed up and showed out just in time to nudge me along to the next step in my journey. She did so by telling me immediately that she felt threatened by me and attempted to crush my spirit by scrutinizing and criticizing my every move and little by little taking all of my power away. So, I bounced. I bounced all the way to Portland, Oregon. Again, we sold everything we could to invest in the move for a job I would lose only 3 months later and spend another 8 months looking for a new one before stumbling into my dream job of becoming a VP at United Way in Tacoma, Washington. There's a story for each of those moves, but suffice it to say that I may fall down, but I never stay down. Now I currently serve as Equity Officer for Metro Parks Tacoma and President and CEO of Fierce Buddha, a business management consulting firm grounded in collective impact and equity. Thank the universe for a reliable compass and a great husband, partner and friend. Nam myoho renge kyo and RobLife saved my life, continue to hold me down, and give my life purpose 🙏🏿🙏🏾🙏🏽🙏🏼🙏🏻 #badbosses #careergoals #dontgiveup #driven #equity #followyourowncompass #justice #noterindas #racism #realleadership #rejectthestatusquo

🎅🎬 "We seem eternally intrigued by the #Christmas #movie debate. Perhaps it’s because it gives us an #opportunity to challenge our #PhD aunts and know-it-all brothers, on a subject that allows latitude to pick holes endlessly." Helmut Schuster and David Oxley, #career experts and co-#authors of 'A Career Carol: A Tale of Professional Nightmares and How to Navigate Them.', share with us their top 7 festive #movies along with the career lessons we can take from them. https://lnkd.in/egSRX63c

Cheekily ignoring the professional nature of the posts here, I share this one as it offers me insight, raises questions, and prompts contemplation. In recent days, my ten-year-old has discussed her career path. She decided she will run for Mayor, work weekends in fast food and dabble in dentistry. A curious mix, I can't help but explore. She explained she wanted to be a leader and loved our area. To lead she would need to understand the people, so serving their food would provide this opportunity. The dentistry was an income topper, as she noted the cost for her brothers last session and figured there was decent money in that. It got me thinking. How long do we stay engaged in such deep thinking processes about our career paths? When do we lose our childhood dreams, and why? How do we maintain the sense of social justice that comes naturally at a young age? How can our educational bodies and Industry support the earliest of aspirations? Ask any child the why behind their career aspirations and they may surprise you with some truths we can all benefit from. 

Here, on this platform more than any other, I see people promoting a way of life that, in an ideal situation, they themselves wouldn't choose. One realization I've come to is that we shouldn't build lives we don't actually enjoy. Sounds like common sense, right? So why have so many of us built self-imposed prisons and called them 'careers'? I think it's because it's so challenging to do otherwise. It takes creativity, bravery, and time - things that the majority of us quite frankly don't have because the system doesn't allow for them. We're in such a hurry to make money, advance, and build a life, that in the end we find we missed our true purpose and potential. Designing a life that's true to you can mean appearing to be wrong for years while watching colleagues and peers climb the proverbial career ladder. It's not easy. But guess what? Neither is getting to the 'top' only to realize you were climbing the wrong ladder the entire time. Be deliberate about designing the life and lifestyle that YOU want, not what society tells you you should want. You only get one life, and in the end, you alone have to live with the choices you've made. Not anyone else.

In my classroom teaching career (side hustle) and to my kids, I have imparted three (3) principles about doing the right things when it comes to your job. These aren't a guarantee of employment but can make a difference in instances where hard choices have to be made: 1) Be at work on time...you don't have to be an hour early but be early. It shows you want to be there and care about other people's time. 2) Before you leave for the day, ask if there's anything else you can do before you leave...this shows you like to finish things and you are willing to help others if needed. 3) At least once a month, tell your boss, "Thank you for letting me work here"...It shows you are grateful for the opportunity and don't take it for granted. You can ask all three (3) of our grown kids about these three things and they can recite them to you verbatim. Just some wisdom that spans almost every situation and work environment. You will be of more value to your employer if you practice these things. Have a blessed day!

I know you don't have a lot of extra time in your life. ⏰ (Business owner and mom of two kiddos over here, I get it!) So I'm not going to sit here and tell you that you have the same number of hours a day as Beyonce and you can totally reach your career goals as long as you want it enough. Barf. 🤢 No. It's way more complicated than that. Instead, I want to let you in on a secret of how to CREATE time. Here's what I mean: In Eve Rodsky's book 📕 Fair Play, she talks about a concept that completely blew my mind as a busy mom. CPE - Conceptualize, Plan, Execute So much of our busyness as parents is wrapped up in the mental load of home life and when we are parenting with a partner, there's a ton of opportunity for inefficiency, resentment, and nagging. Not fun! BUT, when you implement Eve's Fair Play system into your home management process and each partner takes over TOTAL responsibility for a specific task - from conceptualizing, to planning, to executing - something magical happens. ✨ You CREATE TIME in your day because you've upped the efficiency of your routine, not to mention the fairness of sharing the mental load. Woooooo, mind blown! 😃 So if you are saying "But I don't have the time to make a change," give yourself a gift today. Go check out Eve's phenomenal book - you can even get it on Audible and play it at 1.5 speed if you're really feeling time-strapped - and with her guidance implement the Fair Play system. THEN, come on back to me and let's talk about using the time you created to make your CAREER magic too.

As the Easter long weekend approaches, we at Henley Reid want to take a moment to extend our warmest wishes to all the legal professionals in our network. This is not just a time for chocolate eggs and family gatherings; it's also a golden opportunity to unwind, recharge, and reflect. Amidst the hustle and bustle of our daily lives, it's easy to forget the importance of pausing to take stock of where we are in our careers. This Easter, we encourage all lawyers and professionals to embrace the chance to step back, breathe, and consider their professional journey. 🌱 Reflect & Recharge: Use this time to reflect on your career path, accomplishments, and aspirations. Consider the achievements that have brought you joy and the challenges that have fueled your growth. Take pride in how far you've come and envision where you'd like to go next. 🌼 Explore Opportunities: The legal landscape is ever-evolving, presenting exciting new avenues for growth and development. Whether you're contemplating a change or simply curious about what's out there, now is the perfect moment to explore your options. Remember, it's never too late to pursue new opportunities or embark on a fresh chapter in your career journey. Whether you're seeking guidance, exploring job opportunities, or simply looking for a friendly ear to listen, our team is dedicated to helping you navigate your professional path with confidence and clarity. So, as you indulge in Easter treats and spend quality time with loved ones, don't forget to also carve out a moment for yourself — to reflect, recharge, and envision the bright possibilities that lie ahead. Wishing you all a joyous and rejuvenating Easter long weekend! #legalcareers #lawyers #reflection

Adulthood (and working with people) has really taught me to tone down on my criticism of others. I am someone who is generally hard on themselves, and this naturally translates to my expectations of other people - which aren't always fair. Truth is, everyone is trying their best. Everyone has something to appreciate & admire about them. Everyone has a unique ability/gift that only they can do, and that is worthy of celebrating. The reality of life is that people won't always get it right all the time. Similarly, the degree & extent also varies. Funny how we can be so loud about their shortcomings, and hold back on their praise, isn't it? It is very easy to not like a person, for several (perhaps, valid) reasons. "Pet peeves", we call them. A new challenge I have given myself (and am posing to you today) is to DECIDE to like everyone, no matter how unlikeable they may me/how difficult they make it to work with them. Not liking others does not better our lives in any way. In fact, it can be a disservice to ourselves because it often results in burning bridges & unnecessary bitterness/grudges. Taking work "personally", is a quick way to brew hate for your work/boss/colleagues, and ultimately prematurely abort your career advancement. A dislike of someone is often a reflection of the state of your own heart. Yes, some people are hard to work with & deal with. But have you maybe stopped & asked yourself "perhaps, how am I the problem in this encounter?"