Take the leap and sore

Photo courtesy of the Johnston boys.

One thing I love about being a dad is watching my boys grow and discover new things. Unless it's going to put them in critical danger I always let them try and do things that are out of the ordinary. Often times when travelling, we discuss new ways of doing things, inventing a new product, starting a business or coming up with a different way to make something work better.

I always encourage them to dream, ask questions and if it makes sense just do it. So off they go and sometimes they fail and sometimes they succeed.

Discovery is a great journey. Whether it's finding a new job, starting a business or wanting to try something out of your comfort zone.

At Mentorplus.me we want to help people achieve their highest potential by giving them actionable advice. Don't be afraid to seek out someone to help you explore, dream and discover. Then take the leap and sore!

See you soon... ;)

Get some... #NewThinking.

Creating an idea is easy. Turning it into a business is hard. The startup journey for me has been one of ups and downs. I have to admit getting support and advice on your journey can either drag you down or allow you to leap in to a new way of thinking.

I am a person at times not to ask for help and think I need to do things on my own. This journey of startup has caused me to really seek out advice from my mentors or an expert. Most recently, I have been dealing with some personal issues that have caused me to seek help. So I setup a meeting with one of my mentors, Norm, to get support. I presented to Norm my issues and the actions I was going to take to resolve. All I was really expecting was to get a confirmation on these decisions. Instead I got raked over the coals about my direction. Norm asked me some very pointed questions about my thinking of which some I couldn't answer. I then proceeded to ask his advice. What I got from Norm was a new way of thinking on these issues with a fresh approach. I'm thankful I had the hour with Norm as it really put some things into perspective for me. Sometimes we just need this to formulate a new way of thinking to our problems, decisions, issues or plans.

Let me encourage you today don't go it alone and take the leap to get a mentor that can help shape you to #NewThinking.

What experiences have you had with getting advice that changed your thinking. Comment on it here or tweet with a #NewThinking. I love to hear from you and keep the discussion going!

Why Networking is Important

Guest Post by Anna Runyan

It’s not what you know, but who you know.  Who you know can mean the difference in whether or not your end up reaching your future dreams and goals. There are so many reasons why networking is important, personally and professionally.  Whether you want to stand out from the crowd during your job search, rise the ranks at your current company or just have a good support network to be there for you when you need it.  I know that I would not be where I am today in my professional journey if I had not made networking a top priority in my life when I was graduating from college and as I started working at my first job.  Networking helped me land an internship during college that turned into a full time job and helped me get promoted at my first job.  I also built a great support network at my church and that network helped me through a tough time that I went through. No matter where you are in life, you can’t get around the fact that networking is crucial to your success and personal well being.

So what are the barriers that might be holding you back from networking?

1. The first barrier that might be in your way is that you never know what to say.  I hate that awkward introduction and I not knowing what to say to people I don’t know.  The key here is to be genuine, not think about yourself and what you are going to talk about and instead think about what you want to ask and learn about other people instead.  People are just as scared as you in the room and why not make others feel better and take the focus off of you and onto them.
2. Another barrier may be if you are an introvert. An introvert is a person who is energized by being alone and whose energy is drained by being around other people.  If you are an introvert like me, it is hard to be open and let strangers into your life.  To network, you have to be open and curious.  You must also show up and be present in all conversations.  Sometimes the hardest part is getting to the event but you will be glad you did once you get there.  Meet one person and start speaking with them and asking questions.  This way, it will be easier to meet others since you know one person very well.  Also, don't be afraid to speak up if you have something to say.
3.  Another barrier is thinking you are way too busy to network I know I am exhausted after work. This was my biggest pitfall.  I am often too busy with work and school to reach out and connect with someone over lunch or a quick dinner.  You have to make networking a priority, which is why I always scheduled networking events and meetings into my calendar so that I got in the habit of meeting people for lunch or dinner and not going directly home after work.

How did I get over my networking barriers?  It all stated at the beginning of 2011, when I was preparing to graduate from business school and trying to figure out the next step in my career. I knew that networking would be a key to success in the job search, but I also knew I was—and still am—an introvert, and the prospect of meeting new people has never been easy for me.  Still, I was determined to knock down my barriers to networking and meet the people who would help me reach my dreams and goals. So I decided to embark on a networking challenge where every month, I would meet with four people I already knew but would like to get to know even better, as well as four completely new people. I called it the 4×4 Networking Challenge.

And at the end of 2011, I added 48 new people to my network and strengthened relationships with 48 friends, co-workers, and family members. Not to mention, a year of networking like crazy gave me a lot of valuable insights on what it takes to be a good networker—something I never thought I’d be able to claim.

If you are ready to reach your dreams and goals and take your networking to the next level, challenge yourself to a networking challenge. Write it down, find an accountability partner and start today!

Classy Career Girl, a blog written by Anna Runyan, provides advice to young professionals on how to be classy as they climb the corporate ladder.  Her blog covers topics such as business chic fashion, career motivation, personal development, networking, and office etiquette. Connect with her at http://www.classycareergirl.com.  If you would like to learn more about how to find a career that you love to go to everyday, you can also checkout her free video training series at http://www.getmycareerunstuck.com.

My DNA

I have learned so much over the past little while about generations and how one can influence the other.  I believe to achieve happiness and success, our professional and personal life must be aligned to reach our highest potential. There are so many people all over the world in a career, job training, business or startup crisis that they need to be given hope and help. We must find the most simple and easiest ways to get people connected with the help and expertise they need to be successful.

Melanie Pinola from LifeHacker states in her artice "Don’t Do What You Love. Do What You Are."
"You've no doubt heard this career advice before: "Do what you love." Brazen Careerist founder Penelope Trunk calls this simple and idealistic advice absurd. Instead of trying to figure out what you love most and then find the perfect matching career, do what you are, based on your strengths and personality."

For me, I have a genuine passion to serve others, a desire to make things work above the status quo, and a conviction is that simpler is better. It's in my DNA.

What's in your DNA in order to achieve your highest potential?

Business, Startup and Career Experts join Mentorplus.me

We are very pleased and excited to announce that Anna Rynyan from Classycareergirl.com and Gary C. Bizzo from garybizzo.com has just accepted a position on the Mentor+ Advisory Board as well as a Mentoring specialists for Mentorplus.me.

See Anna and Gary's profile in more detail below.

Anna Rynyan, Founder, Career Coach and Speaker 
Founder of one of the top 50 up and coming HR blogs for career development. You can also find her career and fashion advice on Forbes, People, StyleWatch magazine, Yahoo Finance, Bloomberg Businessweek and BrazenCareerist.

Anna helps young professionals and new grads become happy, successful and balanced in their work and life while demonstrating class, skill and integrity.

Speaking engagements include Wake Forest University, Krannert School of Management at Purdue University, Brazen Careerist U, Rady School of Management at UC San Diego, Girl's Empowerment Conference and the San Diego Public Library.

Anna will also be involved in developing our University program in order to better serve students connecting with mentors.

Gary C. Bizzo has 30 years experience in fulfilling the growing needs of business. He ran a Commercial Photography business with an international reputation, Marketing /Business Consultancy and was an Internet Webmaster. His boutique advertising agency provided custom services to a wide variety of businesses.

Taking this vast experience, he is a Mentor and Business Coach to over 900 Vancouver based businesses. He consults with numerous multinationals and two foreign governments. He also writes Business articles for Business in Vancouver’s Employment Paper and the Toronto Star’s Media Group’s Canadian Immigrant Magazine. He is a published business writer, is co-authoring a new book on Entrepreneurs and has written an eBook on Business Start-ups.

His experience allows him to assist any business professionally and fully whether it is a startup or in a mature cycle.

He attended University of New Brunswick (BA), Queens University, Simon Fraser University, City University (MBA) and received the international Certification with APEC (Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation) – Certified Business Counsellor from Acadia University, Nova Scotia, in 2011.

If your looking for Career, Business or Startup advice signup at Mentorplus.me and connect with Anna or Gary or any one of other mentors available to you. They love to get you some help.