Happy Monday!

Ah, Mondays. Some people hate them because they have to get back to work life after a weekend. I love them. New beginnings and all that.

When a person is seeking something better, often the key change they need to make is in their attitude.

One of my “aha” moments occurred when someone told me a story about the difference between a great and not so great salesperson. The facts were the same: a sale is closed for every 10 contacts made.

The not so great salesperson was discouraged by this statistic and felt overwhelmed having to make 10 contacts to make a sale.

The great salesperson embraced the statistic. Every rejection meant one “no” contact closer to the "yes" that made the sale.

That's the perspective I want people to see in me. And the one I try to instill in anyone who'll listen.

Happy Monday!

One Bite at a Time

Clients (and mentors!) are often overwhelmed by big goals, projects that will take a long time to complete, circumstances that seem so daunting they can't ever seem to get started. You know the old adage...elephants are eaten one bite at a time.

I play a game with myself when I have one of the Big Projects. I set a timer for a half hour and work on the Big Project for just 30 minutes. When that timer goes off, I've got 30 minutes of it behind me. And I usually find that the finish line is much closer than it looked from before I spent 30 minutes on it. In fact, some of those Big Projects don't take more than 30 minutes. They just seem like Mt Everest looming there in the distance.

Remind your clients that life rewards action. Do something, no matter how small, toward achieving the goal!

Now I think I'll go practice what I preach and pull that book manuscript out of the drawer this weekend.

Words to Live By

Judy's reply to the post Focus: Forward below gave me an idea. She found a quote she particularly liked and shared it. I have several things like that that I've put in the Mentor Truisms handout. I'll bet many of you have some favorite quotes or sayings as well.

I'll start a topic on the forum for Favorite Quotes. Post your favorites there (after you click on the forum topic, there will be a place for you to REPLY (after you register). In a couple of weeks, I'll compile them all and make a whole new page on the Blog with the Quotes. You'll be able to refer to them often, print them (if I can figure out how to make that work) and use them in your mentoring experience.

Go to the W2W Mentor Forum now (link on the right side of this page) and post your favorite(s).

Rarin' to Go

I had to laugh at myself this morning when I woke up with eager anticipation to see if anyone is checking the new W2W Blog and Forum that I'm so excited about and worked so hard to get up and running quickly. There's a view count on the forum. It looks like I'm the only one viewing it to see if anyone else is checking it. And no one has posted anything. Maybe something's wrong and it's not working the way I thought.

But it reminded me how, as a mentor, I'm often so eager to help a women mentee who says she's ready to make some positive changes in her life. Then she does nothing (at least from my perspective) to make those changes. This is a common frustration for mentors. But, on the bright side, it teaches patience.

I'll try hard to think of this Blog and Forum as a seed I've planted and wait, as patiently as I can, for the sprout, the growth and the harvest.

Focus: Forward

Many of you know that I've lost a significant amount of weight since last summer. This morning, as I was getting ready for work, for the first time since I started that journey, I looked in the mirror and saw how far I still need to go rather than how far I've come.

When I realized what I was thinking, I deliberately stopped myself and drudged up memories of how I looked and felt BEFORE. My attitude changed immediately. My commitment to continue the short distance I still had to go was renewed.

I wish I had a life size blow up of that BEFORE to paste on the wall behind the mirror so I can see the four extra inches sticking out on each side of me when I stand up straight. That would be a great daily reminder of the wild success (it's wild to me, at least) I've had so far.

It's easy to get tired of the struggle before it's finished. Don't allow yourself or your clients to do that. A good mentoring technique is to have a little ritual each time you have contact with your mentee. Begin each conversation or encounter by having them recount and celebrate a success, no matter how small. And then end each encounter by extracting a pledge to anticipate the next success by reinforcing the behavior that got them the success in the first place.

There's a quote that goes somethng like this: You won't reach what's in front of you if you keep looking behind you. Encourage forward focus. It's key to success.

By George! I Think I've Got It!

Well, it wasn't quite as easy as it first appeared, but perseverence and a whole lot of help from the internet and some internet saavy friends have paid off. I think this blog and the forum we discussed at the Mentor Luncheon last Tuesday is up and working the way it will be valuable for everyone. Please click on the W2W Mentor Forum link to the left of the blog posting and register to view and participate in the forum. Because of the sometimes sensitive nature of the situations we encounter, we've made this a private, by invitation only forum. I'm sending each mentor an invitation via e-mail from the W2W list. Once you register, as administrator, I'll approve you so you'll be able to share the full features of the forum.

This on-line community will remain relevant and valuable only through participation. I encourage you to contribute early and often (opposite of the way I'd like you to vote).

Any of the W2W mentors are welcome to blog here. If you'd like to do that, please contact me via e-mail and I'm help you make that happen.

I pray that each of you are as blessed as I have been over the past 13 years by your association with Woman 2 Woman and by all the incredible and diverse women that you meet on this path.

Wow! Talk About Confirmation!

My husband and I have developed a routine each morning before we head off to work. We take 10-15 minutes to read a a daily devotional and pray together. This morning, the day after our mentor luncheon, I was blown away by the title of the April 18 devotional--What's Next? The scripture reference, Philippians 3:7-16, really affirms what we, as mentors, want to help our clients understand and embrace. And here's what the devotional (Our Daily Bread 2012 Devotional Collection) said:

...the apostle Paul...knew that...he could either fixate on the past, with its failures, disappointments, struggles and disputes, or he could learn from those things and move on to "what's next."

I guess I need to give Kim Spangler credit for being prophetic when she asked me to develop the topic What's Next? for mentors at the meeting. So in addition to what's on the hand-out explaining what you can expect as you get mentoring assignments, keep in mind that the What's Next? for clients is to move through what's happened in the past and keep their eye on the future.

Feel free to comment, or go to the forum and start a discussion topic with a comment or a question.

Laurie Grathen

Can This Really Be This Easy?

After our meeting today I got home and played with this for an hour or so. It's a start. Please check and see if you can register and post on the forum page.

I'll keep working on facebook to see how we might make that work too.

Laurie