Everyone makes mistakes

I'm no expert. In anything. (maybe in shoe collecting... maybe) I work it through and use the idea until it doesn't work any more. Then I try and figure it out again. When I mentor, I make sure that folks understand these are just the solutions that are working for me today.

No one is is perfect. Even gurus and professionals make mistakes.

So why wait to try something until everything is perfect or until you think you can do it exactly the first time? If no life depends on the outcome, you surely have some wiggle room?

It's ok to make a mistake. It's not ok to do nothing out of fear of making a mistake.

MIssion statements

Mission statements often sound like advertising slogans; hopefully convincing to a potential buyer, little relevance to your day.

I read a fabulous blog post on 17 Word Street, posted May 30. The author Bill Seyle points out that a mission statement should really say "This is who we are when we're at our best."

I ignore mission statements all the time. However, his post made me think - who am I when I'm at my best? And asked my mentorees the same.

That's what our resumes, elevator pitches and introductions should reflect - not the current fad, not the widget for sale - but the best we personally have to offer. We need to ask that question of ourselves before someone asks it of us.

It's all about change

Mentoring and networking are part of one's personal and career transformation.
But life is all transformation, isn't it? From the fact we don't stay little, to the fact we gain experience through new ideas and projects.

So really, every day/hour/thought has the potential to shift our status quo a little.

Then we're transforming, changing, morphing without even trying. By making conscious choices and decisions, we can try and steer the course to what we desire.

So how can we not mentor and be mentored? Why would we avoid building communities around ourselves and those we love?

Change will happen anyway - choose to embrace it and understand it.