Mirror Mirror on the Wall…
Mind v. Sight The image in the mirror is accurate, but the meaning we assign it can be as distorted as the reflection in a fun-house mirror. Depending on our position, we see tall or short, thin or wide. I recently renewed my driver’s license, and the application asked for my hair color. I was […]
Shoes, Potty, Door
These three words are my trumpet call, the signal that it is time to leave, and the action necessary to ensure an on-time departure. I used them with my children. Many years later, the mother of my granddaughters uses the exact words. When I used them on my writing colleagues at a retreat, they declared […]
A “Few” Final Words
Obviously, mentorship is a subject near and dear to me. I have benefited so much that I cannot help but share my experiences. Last week, I forgot to mention one important reason not to provide an answer, no matter how good it may be. Consider a mentee’s higher confidence in and commitment to decisions they […]
Why all the Questions?
For Good Reason Sometimes, wanting a quick answer or displaying your proficiency by supplying it may tempt you to short-circuit the development process. However, besides defeating the purpose of mentorship, there is a good reason not to. Wrong Yes, you might have considerable wisdom and expertise, but recall you gained most of it through error. […]
This Is HOW We Do It
This Is HOW We Do It In a series on mentorship, you should not expect a prescriptive message like Montell Jordan’s hit song. But for a few brief general rules, examples illustrate the practices you can apply to your mentor relationships. No Answers Here Mentors should spend far more time listening and resist the temptation […]
NOT Friends with Benefits
NOT Friends with Benefits You undoubtedly understand the importance of a frank interaction with a trusted confidant that leads to breakthrough growth. For this reason, I devote several messages to mentorship, and my experiences over the past year have continued to confirm my beliefs and provide me with fresh insights. What Mentorship is the process […]
Not What You Think
The Groundwork In previous years, I was reluctant to write about this topic because it is the other subject, besides politics, that you are not supposed to discuss. But it is too important, and I hope you trust me enough to hear (read) me out. In my prior years’ posts, I realized that I had […]
Birds of a Feather
Flock Together Noted author and motivational speaker Jim Rohn is correct: “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” While I have previously addressed the importance of our associations, this year I want to ensure I have not overstated causation to the point of ignoring the more significant correlation. […]
Yes, Self-Centered
Your initial reaction to this title is that it is a criticism, an insult. We need to distinguish between self-centeredness, being grounded by your values, and selfishness, when your actions are indulgent to the point of being unnecessarily detrimental to others. Self-determination By definition, self-worth can only be judged by oneself. This issue is our […]
Warden or Teacher?
We spend fruitless time looking in the rearview mirror, ruminating over things we cannot change, and futilely hoping for a different past. Self-inflicted Sometimes we use the past as an anchor. We think we have been someone or someway for so long that it is our destiny. Remarkably, we do not have the same attitude […]