12 Lessons I Learned in 2012

1. A mentor is looked uponas a Giant. 4 Characteristics of a great Giant:

1.     Be a great communicator

2.     Use your words to encourage

3.     Master Criticism

4.     Discipline to build character

2. Trust is a function of two things: Credibility and Behavior*.

"It takes 20 years to build a reputation and 5 minutes to ruin it." -- Warren Buffet

*Footnote: Screwed this up more than a few times this year. Ouch!

3. People don't buy what you do, they buy WHY you do it. Build something that solves a problem.

4. If you want to have a great career, pursue your passion. Passion is your greatest love, not your interest. Passion is beyond your interest. Many people don't pursue their passion because they feel they are going to fail. You have to say, “I might fail UNLESS”...  Say “UNLESS” to yourself more often.

5. "The ones who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones that do." -- Richard Branson. I think I'm crazy, butI’m not sure if I’ve changed anything yet.

6. I am passionate about business, including marketing and product development, but when I get a chance to invest in someone's life it's payback like no other.

7. Life is a process. It's a series of steps. Whether it's your career profession, business, startup, or personal journey it's all about the steps you take to achieve your highest potential. I have gone through enough adversity to look back and say that it's only making me stronger and preparing me for the things to come. That's what makes me getup everyday and continue to explore, dream and discover. Take the STEPS!

8. Doing a startup is hard. PERIOD. I spent over a year planning The Mentor+ Project and waiting for the best time to launch Mentor+ME. No time is the perfect time. JUST DO IT!

9. Stop the fear of asking for advice. People are willing to help.

10. Don't do what you love. Do WHAT YOU ARE based on you strengths and personality.

11. Successful people may not always be the smartest individuals but it's the people,community and opportunities around them that may determine their extraordinary accomplishments.

12. "Center yourself around those that are going to lift you higher." -- Oprah Winfrey

Share something you have learned in your life: it just might help someone. No matter what happens along the way it's important to finish well.

HAPPY NEW YEAR! Wishing you the best year ever.

Coming up my goals for 2013!

The Story of Success

I'm reading a very  interesting book from Malcolm Gladwell (Blink and Tipping Point) called Outliers: The Story of Success. This is how Gladwell explains what an Outlier is:
""Outlier" is a scientific term to describe things or phenomena that lie outside normal experience. In the summer, in Paris, we expect most days to be somewhere between warm and very hot. But imagine if you had a day in the middle of August where the temperature fell below freezing. That day would be outlier. And while we have a very good understanding of why summer days in Paris are warm or hot, we know a good deal less about why a summer day in Paris might be freezing cold. In this book I'm interested in people who are outliers—in men and women who, for one reason or another, are so accomplished and so extraordinary and so outside of ordinary experience that they are as puzzling to the rest of us as a cold day in August."

He goes on to explain that sometimes we get far too focused on the individuals characteristics, habits and personality traits of those who get furthest ahead in the world.  To understand an outlier we have to understand their culture, community, family and generation. We've been looking at tall trees, and thinks we should have been looking at the forest.

I support the fact that some people become more successful than others because of the people and community around them including the opportunities that they were given to thrive. Do you know one of the smartest individuals in the world today has an IQ over 200 and is a bouncer at a bar in the United States? I won't go into all the detail you will have to get the book and read it yourself. But one of the reasons that he didn't finish college and go on to be a successful scientist or engineer was because of the community and the lack of mentoring and guidance he was given. He had to drop out of college because his mom didn't know how to fill out the paperwork properly for his financials. It's heartbreaking story.

My wish for Mentorplus.me is that the mentors and mentees understand that success is a community project. It's not only because of our own efforts it's because of the contribution of lots of different people and lots of different circumstances. WE as a community have the opportunity to impact someones life by helping them reach their highest potential and become successful. That's an amazing and awesome feeling!

As we close out 2012 we want to wish you a Merry Christmas and Awesome New Year. We look forward to great things in 2013 and want you all to be part of it. IT'S GOING TO BE AMAZING!

3 different ways to tell a good story.

I love to listen to people's personal stories. A good story is something that defines who we are. It makes us memorable. We all have experienced something in our life that makes a lasting impression. If you understand how to talk about yourself, it's a opening for you to connect to others in a meaningful way. It's a way that you can be used to help others that might be going through similar things. 

Here a 3 different ways you can tell your story.

1. The Challenge. You overcame an obstacle to get where you wanted to go.

2. The Eureka. An idea that came to you that changed everything.

3. The Connection. A time when you met someone or a group that had similar skills and experiences that helped you get where you wanted to go.

For me sharing those meaningful experiences with someone that might need help makes life more rewarding.

What's your story? Everyone has one so don't keep it to yourself. Share something you have learned in your life it just might help someone. 

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