Tag: unemployment

Weekend Wisdom

Join This Job Search Summit

Michele Kearns

When I was unemployed Work It Daily (paid membership site) was my main source of career support. I developed lasting online friendships with other people and with the founder J.T. O’Donnell.

I learned a lot about job searching by attending daily coaching sessions and while job searching was no fun, these online group sessions were enjoyable because of the bonding that took place. We encouraged one another.

Well J.T. and her team are extremely busy due people unceremoniously being dumped into the unemployment line.

This Tuesday, July 28th, J.T. and her team are going to be hosting a one day job search summit from 10 a.m. – 4:30 a.m. Eastern (7:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. Pacific) where you will learn everything you need to know about resumes, LinkedIn profile, cover letters, interview prep, and online networking for job search.

The cost – $10.00

Yes, only $10.00 for a vast amount of information needed to conduct an effective job search.

So if you or anyone you know is currently unemployed pass this link on to them.

Disclaimer: All links are non-affiliate. I will receive no commission or other compensation for sharing this link. I am doing this because I know the fear and downright terror of being unemployed and want to help. J.T. has no advance knowledge of this post and will find out about it when it goes live.

God bless J.T., her team and all the attendees at the summit on Tuesday.

(P.S. — I attended an online session where J.T. taught about blogging which gave me the knowledge and support I needed in starting JoyReturns.)

Bio: Michele Kearns is the founder and HUG© (Hope Unites Globally) Award-Winner of JoyReturns. She shares her widowhood adventures hoping to encourage widows to move through grief and rebuild their lives. A graduate of Kent State University with a Bachelor’s degree in communications, she’s used those skills while managing call center teams, co-facilitating a grief support group, and helping small businesses with various writing and administrative assignments. Michele is a bookworm, and a lover of history, chocolate, red roses, and golden retrievers. She is also the amateur photographer behind the blog OgleOhio.com

Career, Faith, Uncategorized

21st Century Parables – Introduction

Michele Kearns

Good Morning.

Starting tomorrow = I will be writing about some of the parables Jesus taught and explain how they apply to job searching in the 21st Century.

Job searching is one of my adventures since becoming a widow (it is worse than grief).

Lately Jesus’ parables have crossed my mind and I’ve been able to see how they apply to today’s job search. This is a subject I’ve been thinking about for some time and finally decided to do it.

I have a Bachelor of Arts in Rhetoric and Communication (college speak for public speaking) and not a Master of Divinity so I’m not an expert in theology. What I am an expert in is grief, job search, and society’s treatment of those in transition.

The Parable of the Sower is coming tomorrow. Other parables are:

  • The Rich Man
  • The Banquet

as well as any other ones I can apply to job search.

Now off to put paint chips on my spare bedroom walls as I am converting it into an office.

Enjoy your day and I will see you tomorrow.

God bless you.

 

Uncategorized

Fear Fighting by Kelly Balarie – A Review

Michele Kearns

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One of my highlights in 2016 was being chosen for the launch team for Kelly Balarie’s book Fear Fighting, awakening courage to OVERCOME your fears.  The book released today.

Kelly shares personal stories and actionable tips for over coming various fears-inducers including:

  • The Devil
  • Control
  • People Pleasing
  • Worrying
  • Comparison and Competition
  • Waiting While Trembling
  • Rejection and Opposition
  • The Past

which all happen to be fears widows deal with at some point in time.

Not a Rosy Story

It was the chapter on comparison and competition that sucker punched me.  Kelly writes about comparing herself to Rosie and the story was anything but rosy.

I too compare myself to others, wanting what they have so I can be like them and fit in. Whether it was fitting in with the in-crowd in school or fitting in with society after being widowed. Widows do not fit in with society, we are chewed up and spit out on the outside of the palace gates. We are the true deplorables. (but that is a subject for another post.)

Grief and Comparison

I found myself even doing it while grieving. Everyone else got back to normal or in some cases, their lives took off in unexpected and very pleasing circumstances. Me – I was grieving. The only moving I did was to the unemployment line a year after Joe’s passing.

There is no room for comparison while you are grieving. Do not compare yourself to another widow, she make look like she has it altogether but you do not know what goes on behind closed doors.

Once you do discover the details of another widow’s grief, you will most likely decide you are blessed to be experiencing the grief hand you were dealt.

Grief and Competition

Getting through grief is NOT a competition. There is no race to see who can come out of grief the soonest, who has the easiest grief, or who comes out of it looking the most beautiful.

There was not another woman who was widowed at the same time as me, so I did not compete with anyone to see who could finish grieving first or who looked better while grieving. (fyi – you are finished grieving when you walk through the gates of heaven. Revelation 21:4)

Behold His Radiance

In the chapter Kelly also writes:

What we see as our hindrance, God sees as admittance to behold His radiance.

pg 117

Grief is your hindrance, but you will see God in all his radiant glory through the help and support friends and family provide.

And once you see His radiance, it is up to you to emit God’s radiance to others. You do not do emit radiance by comparison and competition – you do that by serving others, even while you are grieving. 

Something To Chew On

Kelly closes each chapter with a section titled Something to Chew On. These are additional thoughts for you to meditate on. My favorite from the Comparison and Competition chapter is:

“Remind me of all the bad, and I will say, “The downpours are just precursors to rainbows.”

pg 121

“North End of Rainbow”
Rainbow Over Woods Behind House – June 2008 (photo by Michele Kearns)

Group Bible Study

Included in the book is a 12-week group Bible study, or you can do it alone. I am starting the Bible study this week. It will be a great way to kick off 2017.

Final Thoughts

I’ve always said grief is life’s greatest self-improvement course. Fear Fighting is an excellent book to read and  learn how to sucker-punch any fears that arise, whether or not you are grieving.

In Excellent Company

This book is in my stack of favorite books by author’s such as Ann Voskamp, J.T. O’Donnell, Mark Batterson, and Heather Burch. As  you can see it is also one where I used a lot of sticky notes. There are also a lot of highlights and notes in the margins.

book

Well done Kelly, well done good and faithful servant! 

Matthew 25:21

Disclaimer: I am part of the Fear Fighting book launch team and received a free copy in exchange for my honest review. The links provided are not affiliate links and I receive no compensation when  you buy  Kelly’s book.

(Special Thank You to the Brunswick Library and the Adult Reference staff for the use of their fireplace and resources. The library served as my office for the past 4 months.)