Taziah Kenney

Well, I don't know if you're able to say this, but faith is huge in my life. I truly believe I am where I am because God is good. I also would say determination and discipline is huge. I think that's one of the things that has gotten me to where I am - the ability to set my mind on a goal and achieve it. One of my big quotes in life, if you are around me enough, is assumption of best intent, or assuming the best in people. I am someone who likes to pull the light and love out of others, and I always kind of stay from this place of assuming that people are always trying their best. And I will tell you, it keeps me positive, it keeps me optimistic, and it keeps me being able to love and care for people well. Because if I assume that you're trying your best at all times, it just makes me a better person. So I'd say my optimism, too, is an attribute.

One of the things that I would say is there's room for all of your passions, you just have to find the right opportunity. And also, understanding that nothing in your previous, whether it's employment, volunteer, or experience, is wasted. You can kind of leverage all of the skills that you've built throughout your entire lifetime. And also to not be afraid of closed doors or failures, but evaluate those things and use them to grow yourself and develop in those gaps. I think one of the things that I'm most proud of is the ability to take constructive criticism or things that have been done over my career and grow in those areas. I think you're more defined by the weaknesses that you work on than even the strengths that you have. The more you can accept your weaknesses and grow and develop in that area, while also continuing to elevate in your strengths, it just makes you a more well-rounded professional. Another piece of advice is celebrate the small wins. For every small win, it's not just the big wins that matter, it's the small ones, too.

Work-life balance is imperative. Rest is necessary - it is necessary, and it's not just physical rest, that's something that I've learned, it's mental rest, too. And I think that that's something that we forget, because we can be sitting on the couch watching TV, but your mind is still thinking about the work. So it's mental rest and physical rest that matter, and it's making time to rest. It's making time for a Sabbath, it's making time for intentional rest from everything. And that sometimes includes advocacy, too, because when you're an advocate, you want to keep that hat on all the time, but in this world, we need rest, because there's so much that needs to be changed at all times. It's important to prioritize and partner with people doing the good work. You don't have to solve everything using yourself. You have to get partnered with people who are doing it, and then find the one thing that maybe is your priority, and maybe you have to lead that thing. It's really recognizing what your own strengths are and not doing too much, because then you're less useful when you're trying to do too much. And the work stops. And the point is longevity, not a fast finish.