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How to get the most value from Mentorship

24/2/2020

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As I progress in my career and life in general, I am learning the value of having a mentor and being a mentor. One way that I invest in my success is by having mentors. My mentors come in different types and support me in various aspects of my life. Some of them provide guidance for my professional life while others support me in my business and personal life.

In this blog post, we will explore the definition of mentorship and the top five pieces of advice that I received about mentorship that help me every day.

What is Mentorship?
  • Mentorship is a relationship in which a more experienced or more knowledgeable person helps to guide a less experienced or less knowledgeable person
  • A mutual relationship with an intentional agenda designed to convey specific content along with life wisdom from one individual to another.
  • Mentoring is a relationship between two people with the goal of professional and personal development.

How to have successful Mentorship relationships

#1: Good Mentorship relationships benefit both parties
Initially, when I was identifying my mentors, I felt like I did not have anything to offer them in return. I was worried that I was going to burden them and add no value to them. However, through the years, I have realized that I also give my mentors a lot. For some of them, I provide a different perspective that they may not be thinking about or offer them advice on topics that I am an expert in. Once you start seeing Mentorship as a beneficial relationship for everyone involved, it will reduce your guilt, and you will get the best value.

Further Reading
The Reciprocal Value of Mentorship

#2: You can have multiple Mentors
For the longest time, I thought I could only have one mentor who will provide holistic support. The truth is that no one person can or even needs to give you guidance in all aspects of your life. After doing more research and hearing about the possibility of having multiple mentors, I was very excited. Now, I have many people who I go to for support, depending on the need I have. Another lesson I have learned is that my mentors could also be my peers.

Further Reading
The 7 Essentials To Forming A Board Of Mentors

#3: Be intentional about choosing your Mentors
Especially as I grow in my career, I want to ensure that I have mentors that fit my needs. I think that your goal should be more than just having a mentor for the sake of it, but having mentors that can support you on your growth journey. The concept of interviewing my potential mentors is one that I appreciate now. It gives me the chance to define my need and also the type of people that I am looking for.

Further Reading
25 Questions to Ask a Mentor

#4: Be prepared for your Mentorship sessions
One of the practices that I prioritize is getting prepared before I speak with or contact my mentors. I prepare the updates I want to share as well as the questions that I have for my mentors. Being disciplined has helped me get the most value from the time that I spend with my mentors. This is the same way that I approach everything that means a lot to me. I know that I get the most value from formal mentorship.

Further Reading
Four Types of Questions To Ask Your Mentor

#5: Always keep your Mentor up to date on your progress
In my mentorship relationships, it is important to me to share the progress that I am making, not only areas that I am struggling with. I look forward to sharing the good things that happened after I came to them for advice. This serves two purposes; it helps them see that they are helping me and helps me know that it is a beneficial relationship that I need to continue to have.

Further Reading
How to Build a Great Relationship with a Mentor

Call to Action
Who are your mentors?
What type of new mentors do you need to find?

Final Thoughts
  • Mentorship is one of the tools that can help propel you to the next level of success
  • Leveraging the vast knowledge that people around you have is very smart
  • You can have great mentorship relationships.

Great Resources
  • Why women need mid-career mentors
  • Why every professional should recruit a personal board of advisers
  • 1 Mentor Isn't Enough. You Need to Build a Personal Board of Advisers
  • How to Build a Great Relationship with a Mentor
  • The problem with the lack of female leaders
  • The 5 types of mentors you need in your life
  • Ten Tips For A Successful Mentorship ​
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How to be intentional about what influences you

18/2/2020

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At a conference I attended recently, one of the speakers spoke about how we need to be aware of what influences us. Especially in a world where "Influencers" are a huge deal, we have to know who those influencers in our lives are. Do the Influences in your life cause you to do good, feel great about yourself, take on new challenges and be a better you? If you are not quite sure, it's time for reassessment and change. To get to where you want to be in life, it is key to have the right influences in your life.
 
In this blog post, we will explore the definition of influence and ways to be intentional about what influences you.
 
What does influence mean?
  • to affect or change how someone or something develops, behaves, or thinks (Source: Cambridge Dictionary)
  • the action or process of producing effects on the actions, behavior, opinions, etc., of another or others (Source: Dictionary.com)
  • the capacity to have an effect on the character, development, or behavior of someone or something, or the effect itself.
 
How do others or external factors influence us?
  • Change how we see life or our progress
  • Affect the decisions we make
  • Set the direction of our lives
 
How to be intentional about what Influences you
 
Know the people and things that influence you
There are so many sources of input into our lives these days. From the steady stream of information on social media, the internet, Television and other people, we get many different data points that influence us. Being aware of those things and people that influence you is the first step to having a healthy relationship with external influences.
 
Questions to consider
  • Who has influenced your life so far?
  • Are you influenced by what you see on social media?
 
Acknowledge how things influence you
Knowing how you get influenced is essential. You might be influenced by things you grew up with, new things you often see, what people around you say or do. The fact is, external influences have a strong effect on what we think, how we act and grow. Once you know what influences you and how it affects your life, you can take charge.
 
Questions to consider
  • Are the people around you influencing the way you look at your life?
  • Have you noticed any change in the way you behaved after interacting with certain people?
 
Choose what influences you
Being intentional about what you allow to influence you is crucial. To live a successful like, you will need to remove negative influences and find new positive ones actively. You have the opportunity to ensure that things that influence you help get you to the future that you want.
 
Questions to consider
  • How are you going to remove negative influences from your life?
  • How are you going to choose positive influences?
 
Final Thoughts
  • To build the life you want, you have to be intentional about what influences you.
  • You have the responsibility to guard your heart and mind.
  • Let positivity fill your life.
 
Call to Action
  • What influences are you going to get rid of?
  • What new influences are you adding to your life?
 
Great Resources
  • Identifying Your Influencers: Who Influences You? Who Do You Influence?
  • The Power of Influence
  • Who Influences You And How Did You Get Here?
  • What influences your decisions?
  • Who Influences You the Most ? 3 Reasons to Change the #1 Most Influential Person in Your Life
  • Keeping Good Company: Why You Should Surround Yourself With Good People
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How to recharge yourself

11/2/2020

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From conversations that I have been having and how I have been feeling, 2020 has been an intense year so far. Acknowledging that we are only in February and have ten more months to go this year, we have to preserve our energy in order not to burn out. One thing is for sure, energy depletes and our tanks will be empty if we don't intentionally recharge.

In this blog post, we will discuss things that drain your energy and five ways to recharge your energy to thrive this year.

What drains your energy?
Knowing the things that steal your energy is essential to help you conserve your energy. Sharing some things that drain our energy quickly:
  • Taking on too many responsibilities
  • Being in negative situations and environments
  • Setting unrealistic goals
  • Being around negative and toxic people
  • Overworking yourself and not setting boundaries

How to recharge your energy
The good news is that there are simple ways for you to renew your energy.

Prioritize self-care and get some rest
Making time for yourself may sound almost impossible. Think about the last time you got quality sleep. For me, trying to chase my dreams and work full time has been taking up a lot of my time lately. These days, I find myself being very tired a lot. I am learning the value of taking a break and taking care of myself.

Strategies to consider
  • Take regular breaks and make sleep a priority
  • Get a massage, go for a walk, take time off or go on a weekend get-away

Do something fun and new
Changing your routine a little is a great way to recharge your energy. Doing things you enjoy may not be part of your routine and when you get to do them you will feel energized. They don't have to be big things. It could be as simple as going for a concert, seeing a movie, getting a great meal, site-seeing or traveling to a new place.

Strategies to consider
  • Explore new hobbies and places
  • Have a good laugh and enjoy life

Reconnect with people
When life gets busy, it is easy to lose contact with people we really enjoy being around. Recently, I noticed that this was happening to me. I could not remember when last I spent time with someone just for fun or had a long phone call with anyone. The truth is my favorite person to chat with is my eight-year-old niece. She helps me see the world differently.

Strategies to consider
  • Make time to meet or talk to good people in your life
  • Connect with someone you haven't spoken to in a while

Get some help and delegate
Having to do everything on your own is one of the greatest energy drains. Taking care of a household, working a job, owning your business and in general taking care of everyone else's needs will surely deplete your energy. Asking for help and getting services that simplify my life is something that I am learning to do more of. Yes, I still deal with the guilt of wanting to do everything on my own. But I tell myself that it is worth it and I will burn out if I don’t get help.

Strategies to consider
  • Find tasks that others can help you do
  • Invest and pay for services that relieve the stress

Give back
This past weekend I had the opportunity to speak to first generation students at UC Berkeley and it energized me. Being able to share my story and words of encouragement with students who are about to enter the workforce was very special. I am a firm believer that giving back to others helps you overcome the feeling of being overwhelmed and gives you fresh energy.

Strategies to consider
  • Find a cause that you care about
  • Invest some time in giving back to people around you

Final Thoughts
  • To thrive this year, it is crucial to find ways to recharge your energy
  • Make small changes today to get different results
  • You will be successful in 2020!

Call to Action
What are the things that are draining your energy?
What three strategies are you going to apply to recharge yourself?

Great Resources
10 Surprisingly Simple Things You Can Do to Recharge Your Mind
10 Ways You Can Best Use Your Time To Mentally Recharge
How to Recharge and Get Motivated
6 Tips to Recharge at the Office
What to Do on Vacation to Make Sure You Fully Rechargeœ
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My Life in the US - Year 5

4/2/2020

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On Feb 20, 2015 I boarded a plane from Frankfurt, Germany to the Bay Area in the US. I can't believe it's been five years already since I moved here. The last years have been very eventful. I am very grateful for the opportunities that I have had on my journey. The theme for my fifth year in the US was “thrive in uncertainty and celebrate the good.”
 
In this blog post, I will reflect on my fifth year in the US. This post continues my "Her Relocation" series where I share my experience living in multiple countries over the past 19 years. Check out My Life in the US - Year 1, Year 2&3 and Year 4.
 
Discovering that my relocation experience is different
Thinking back to my first five years in Germany, it was extremely difficult. Some of the differences include being financially stable, having companionship, having a clearer plan and being more mature. I was definitely able to deal with new experiences better than when I moved to Germany at the age of fifteen. There have been ups and downs on this journey, but I have felt more equipped to deal with them and thrive.
 
Realizing that time flies by very quickly
When I started writing this blog post, I was surprised at the speed at which time has gone by. I guess it's true when they say, "time flies when you are having fun". So many things have happened since I moved to the US. There have been lots of lessons learned, experiences had, people met, and dreams realized. I'm looking forward to my journey over the next years.
 
Learning that stability is cool too
One thing that I realized recently is that this is the longest time I have spent in a single house and city for all my life. I have been living here for five years straight. Although I enjoyed moving around on my relocation journey, it does feel very good to be stable. Having a stable home and loving partner has made my time in the US amazing. I have had some practice adapting to new cities and homes over the past 19 years. However, I am now learning the valuable skill of building my life and home in a stable environment. 
 
Accepting things that are outside of your control
One of the most challenging parts of my journey in the US was waiting for my immigration status to be updated. As an immigrant for the past 19 years, I have gotten used to having to go through the immigration process. This time it was different, there were a lot of things going on outside my control and all I could do was check the website regularly and wait. After months of waiting and being anxious, I was able to complete my immigration process. It definitely took a lot of mental and emotional energy to stay calm through the process.
 
Living out my passion is fulfilling
In my previous posts, I have shared that one of my favorite parts of living in the US is that I finally got to make my dreams a reality. Over the past year, I really leaned into the work that I had started with following my passion. In my fifth year I took on new challenges and continued to build on the strong foundation.
 
Overcoming a challenge and thriving professionally
I kicked off my 5th year in the US knowing that I needed to transition to a new role. It wasn't something I planned but I knew it was necessary. One big part of moving to different countries is that I have learned a lot about myself. I know when it is the right time to pick up myself and move. Change has been constant in my life. When the time came to change my role unexpectedly, I reminded myself of all the change I have weathered in my life and how I have succeeded in the past 18 years. It was all worth it in the end. I'm growing and thriving.
 
Final Thoughts - 10 Lessons I learned
  1. Believe in yourself - you have what it takes to succeed in any environment
  2. Accept the uncertainty - Don't be discouraged by unplanned circumstances
  3. Build your home - it takes some time and it's totally worth it
  4. Celebrate Change - it is good and necessary to make progress
  5. Surround yourself with great people - who are learning and growing
  6. Don't lose your identity - Stay in touch with yourself and be grounded
  7. Follow your passion - you will find fulfillment here
  8. Don't take no for an answer - if you want something, go get it
  9. Motivate yourself - especially when things get difficult, be hopeful
  10. Keep striving for more - there is so much more that you can achieve

Call to Action
What is one thing you won't have been able to do if you didn't move to a new city or country? Celebrate the opportunities
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    Marie-Christin Anthony
    -Learning and sharing

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