Keep Your Vision in Front of You

I spent some time this weekend thinking about the vision I have for myself and my 3 sons over the next number of years. There are things I see every day that remind me of what I am believing for, things that inspire me and ignite my faith.

There is a Proverb in the Bible that states: "Where there is no vision, the people perish."

With no vision, it's easy to get stuck where you are and expect nothing to happen. I know because at times with all the pressures of this world to achieve wealth and success it becomes difficult to know exactly where you fit in.

I admit my inspiration comes from some of the great mentors I have had in my life. The ones that want to make a difference and do something that will effect a change or impact someone's life.

Everyday I try to make it a goal to make a small impact whether at work, with my boys or people I meet socially.

I continue to develop and validate my own ideas of how to help others not only have a vision but a BIG vision for their lives. This includes teaching and helping people create ideas for practical, daily steps to set a vision as well as creating reminders. It's not enough to just dream it, you need to see it and let a seed take root in your heart.

If you have a big vision, then start believing in your heart that it will take root and see it come to completion. You will be amazed at what happens!

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!

Turning the ridiculous into something great

Last week I had the privilege of attending the 2012 Waterloo Region Entrepreneur Hall of Fame gala. It was great networking event plus I was encouraged and inspired from inductees who have built such great and sustainable businesses over the years. Here are some of the comments highlighted from their acceptance speeches.

Jim Estill from Canrock Ventures provides wise words and his mantra... "Fail often, fail fast, fail cheap."

Gerry Remers is President and Chief Operating Officer of Christie ... "Everything is in constant flux and we need to adapt." Gerry also encourages us in his touching acceptance speech to take risk and seize the day. Be bold ! You can read more in this Communitech blog post about his battle with cancer, clarity and future of Christie.

Below is a link to a number of video vignettes from all the Hall of Fame inductees. They discuss how they believed in themselves, did the ridiculous and were able to achieve incredible things. We should all be inspired.

Mentor+me Launches

Today marks the beginning of what we believe to be an evolution in your career, personal and business acceleration. Mentor+me is a new web & mobile application that leverages social networks to connect industry leader mentors with people who want personalized and actionable advice.

Although we've officially launched, the mission has only just begun. As with any beta, the feature set will evolve as the community grows. We are in the middle of recruiting a great selection of mentors who want to help. As we are just beginning to open the site to members, we will quickly grow the amount of participation. We need YOU to sign-up and help promote the site to all your colleagues and friends. Please register at mentorplus.me.

Here are only a few of the cool features the site offers:

• A featured set of mentors available for each special interest group.
• Search and request advice from an expert. 
• Exclusive collaboration tools such as email, chat messaging, video chat and scheduled live events with special speakers.
• The latest in Career, Personal Achievement, Business and Startup news.
• Free access to The #Mentor+ Daily -- Top curated mentoring, career, business and startup content from around the world.
• M+ Library of recommended reading materials brought to you by Amazon.com.
• Doing your own research? Create your own poll to get membership feedback.
• Earn reward points for every time you engage in activity on the site. You will be able to see "My Stats" in your own profile. These points will be used to change your ranking and achievement on the site. Ex. Mentee to Mentor.

For now, take time to explore the network, share your thoughts on the IDEAS page, evaluate and join the groups and forums available. Your feedback is very important, so we will do our best to make improvements on a regular basis.

Please join us in our mission to impact one billion people, worldwide, in a positive way, over the next 10 years (2022). So let the journey begin... Don't go it alone -- EXPLORE, DREAM and DISCOVER. Again, go to mentorplus.me and accept your personal invitation.

See you soon.

"There is no passion to be found playing small." --- Mandela