 Having great mentors can be a life-changing experience. When you talk to some people, they can readily name their mentors and share how they have supported them on their journeys. A few years ago, I did not have mentors and did not know their value. Once I found my first mentor, I wanted to scream from a hilltop about how mentorship has helped me on my journey. Years later, I have multiple mentors, and I am thankful that I do.
In this blog post, we will explore how to get the most value from your mentors on your personal and professional development journey. Starting point: What does mentorship mean?
How to leverage your mentors #1: Gain different perspectives It helps to have someone who can help you see things a little differently in some life situations. Hearing how someone else views a particular situation you are in; can highlight something you might not have considered. You can see their perspective as a gift to you to help you increase your chances of succeeding. Strategies to consider
#2: Get Inspired and energized When you think about the perfect mentors, think about people who inspire you to do more and take on new challenges. There is something powerful about having role models to whom you can look up. Seeing them accomplish remarkable things will serve as a source of motivation. Strategies to consider
#3: Get feedback on your plans Especially when you are planning a significant move in your life or career, it is especially important to have people with whom you can discuss your plans. They should be people with who you are comfortable sharing your ideas with and whose feedback you trust. Strategies to consider
#4: Get support and encouragement With all the magnificent work you are doing, it helps to get some positive reinforcement from your mentors. Knowing that you have people who are on your side and cheering you on feels incredibly good. You do not have to go on your journey alone. Let your mentors be there for you. Strategies to consider
#5: Offer them something in return The best relationships are the ones where all parties benefit from being in them. This is the same for mentorship relationships. It is important for you to not only receive support or advice from your mentors but also give them something of value. It could be in the form of providing them with your perspective, singing their praises, or helping them accomplish their own goals. Strategies to consider
Final Thoughts: MC's Mentorship Journey Having mentors in my personal and professional life has taught me a lot. They have supported me as I navigated some tough times in my life and have also been there to celebrate my successes. I have learned that we may need new mentors in different life phases and that mentors might look quite different than you expected. Call to action
Great Resources How to Find a Mentor Who Can Accelerate Your Career 10 Tips for Finding a Mentor—and Making the Relationship Count The Right Mentor Can Change Your Career. Here's How to Find One What’s the Right Way to Find a Mentor? What Exactly Is the Mentor's Role? What Is the Mentee’s?
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 On our recent family vacation, I noticed I was being very hard on myself and needed to remember to give myself some grace. It is easy to constantly dwell on what you could have done better and forget to enjoy the moment. In our lives as individuals, mothers, partners, caregivers, or professionals, there will be times when you will have to choose to love yourself and not be overly hard on yourself.
In this blog post, we will explore five ways to practice self-love every day. #1: Accept that good is good enough While striving to do our best is a good thing, it can very easily become a burden. Wanting to be perfect in everything you do puts you under so much pressure and is not sustainable. You want to get to a place where you feel ok with delivering good outputs. Especially if you are playing multiple roles, you need to know when to accept that you have completed a particular task and be ok with it. Sometimes striving to get things done well and not perfect is what we need to do to enjoy our lives. Questions to consider
#2: Track your accomplishments and celebrate your successes When you get into the habit of celebrating your wins, it helps remind you of how far you have come and the progress you are making. Often, we forget to celebrate the completion of a task or project and keep moving to the next thing without taking a moment to enjoy it. Celebrating what you have accomplished is a great way to remind yourself of how amazing you are. Questions to consider
#3: Track your learnings There will be situations that will go differently than you planned. Although you might not be satisfied with the outcome, the best way to deal with them is to take away the lessons you learned and keep moving. We tend to dwell on the failures and regrets we have. It would be better to learn from them and strive not to make the same mistakes again in the future. Questions to consider
#4: Continue discovering who you are We are growing and evolving with every life experience and phase. Spending time getting to know yourself is essential. You will discover things that you did not know about yourself that are awesome. Knowing your strengths and things that make you unique will help you appreciate yourself even more. Questions to consider
#5: Take care of yourself We focus more on caring for others and ensuring their needs are met while neglecting our own needs. It is time to start taking care of yourself and spoiling yourself. If I asked you when last you did something nice for yourself, it might take you a while to remember. We deserve to be a priority on our lists. Make time to practice self-care, take a break and get some rest as often as you can. Questions to consider
Final Thoughts You are doing an excellent job even when you do not see it. We are often our worst critics and sometimes set unattainable goals for ourselves. Be kind to yourself and celebrate your awesomeness. Time for Reflection How have you been hard on yourself? What is one nice thing that you need to tell yourself more? What is one way you want to practice self-love this week?  Talking about our accomplishments and successes can feel a little daunting. However, it is very crucial that we get more comfortable doing it. In our private or professional lives, there are situations where we choose to either showcase our unique contributions or let them go unnoticed. If I asked you if you have ever been in a situation where you wished you spoke up and shared your accomplishments, your answer would probably be yes.
In this blog post, we will discuss how to get more comfortable talking about your accomplishments. Check out my other "Her Growth" posts for tips and resources to support your personal growth. #1: Take stock of your accomplishments Firstly, you need to believe that you have accomplished great things. Irrespective of how big or small you might think your successes are, they matter and should be celebrated. I learned to keep an accomplishment log where I write down my successes, and positive feedback people gave me. When you know what your accomplishments are, it is much easier to talk about them. Strategies to consider
#2: Find a way to share your accomplishment that feels authentic to you When I talk to people who are not very comfortable with talking about their accomplishments, they often share that it feels uncomfortable or unnatural to them. Their reasons include not wanting to sound proud, not knowing the right words to use and not feeling it fits their personalities. We know that it is important for our growth, so we should invest time in exploring different ways to find what works best for us. Strategies to consider
#3: Practice talking about it Especially for things that we do not feel very comfortable doing, practicing makes it easier. Now that you have taken stock of your accomplishments and found a way to share them that feels good to you, it is time to share them with someone. Prepare to have the conversation and rehearse if you need to. Find someone who you know will celebrate with you and share your accomplishments with them. It might feel scary at first, but it will get better the more you do it. Also, seeing people's reactions to your great successes will motivate you to keep sharing. Strategies to consider
#4: Find and take opportunities to share your accomplishments Getting into the habit of sharing your accomplishments will make it feel more natural. There might be established processes like yearly performance reviews where you get to talk about the great work you have done at work. Make sure you are taking advantage of them. You may also have to create opportunities to showcase your successes if none exist. Use your resume, profile, or other platforms to share highlights. In your private life, leverage the conversations you have to share your accomplishments with people. Strategies to consider
#5: Continue tracking and celebrating your accomplishments As you continue to grow and do great things, document them. It is very easy to forget what you have accomplished if you do not keep track of them. Along with making sure you remember your successes, you also want to celebrate them. We do not spend enough time celebrating how far we have come and often wait for people to celebrate us. Your successes are a big deal and need to be treated as such. Strategies to consider
Final Thoughts Over the last years, I have learned that it is my responsibility to celebrate my accomplishments and journey. This is something that I constantly remind myself of. I look forward to hearing about your amazing successes. Great Resources How to start celebrating your accomplishments Celebrate your professional achievements How to master the art of self-promotion Call to Action What have you accomplished over the last year? How are you going to practice talking about your accomplishments? How will you celebrate your next major accomplishment?  Over this past week, I have been reflecting on how self-doubt can have a severe hold on your life. Being confident in myself and my abilities has allowed me to explore new things and thrive. Overcoming self-doubt is a continuous journey and not one and done.
In this blog post, I will be sharing five things that self-doubt stopped me from doing and tools that help me overcome self-doubt. #1: Believing in myself and feeling that I deserve to be where I am For the longest time, I underestimated my talent and abilities. Especially when I faced difficulties and failed, I did not think I had what it took to be successful. When I look back on my journey and what I have experienced, I know that I have what I need to succeed and thrive. Resources Tools that I apply
#2: Not talking about my accomplishments Growing up, I was taught that it was a bad personality trait if you like to talk about what you have accomplished. It took me many years to learn the importance of promoting myself. Especially on my professional journey, I had to start being vocal about what I have accomplished to gain respect and recognition. I now value all my accomplishments and do not take them for granted. Resources Tools that I apply
#3: Asking for a promotion or what I want at work One of the lessons that I learned that has helped my career grow exponentially is that you have to be in the driver’s seat and plan your career. Now I know that if I want to do great things at work, I need to ask for it and put myself in the right place. Resources Tools that I apply
#4: Sharing my story This goes hand in hand with not believing in myself, I did not think my story needed to be told. I could not think about the value of sharing my story with people. It took me hearing people's reactions when I shared a little of my story to believe that my experiences are a gift that could help others. Resources Tools that I apply
#5: Dreaming big and living out my passion Especially since I did not grow up around people who were doing big and bold things, I kept my dreams mostly small. There have been many passion projects that I allowed remain a dream and never lived out. I sat on the dream of creating my blog for almost seven years. I did not think that my contribution would be valuable. Once I started living out my passions, my life was transformed. Resources Tools that I apply
Final Thoughts If you have been letting self-doubt stop you from achieving greatness, it is time for you to overcome it and start making bold moves. Great resources  Over the past weeks, I have been working very hard at work and have not had time to do many of other things. This week, I finally have some time off to catch up on life. One of the things I want to do is check in with myself and make sure that I am doing well. I know there are areas in my life where I am not doing well, and I am looking forward to working on those things.
In this blog post, we will check in on how we are doing in all aspects of our lives. Physical and emotional wellbeing When your mind and body are well, you feel like you can take on the world and do great things. It is crucial to focus on taking care of your whole self. If you feel like you have been neglecting yourself, this is the perfect time to practice some self-care and make it a routine. Questions to consider
Call to Action
Tips/Resources Financial Health The state of your finances is something that can impact you in a good or bad way. In my life, I know that when my finances are in order, and I am meeting my financial goals, I feel good overall. I strongly believe that taking control of our finances should be a priority. Questions to consider
Call to Action
Tips/Resources Career and professional growth Given the amount of time that we spend at work, it makes it much more fun when we are progressing and accomplishing our professional goals. We all work for different reasons and knowing what your reason is will help you. Questions to consider
Call to Action
Tips/Resources Healthy relationships Your relationships with your family, friends, and people you care about are a crucial part of your overall wellbeing. Reviewing the health of your relationships often is great practice. That will help ensure that you are connecting with the people around you. Questions to consider
Call to Action
Tips/Resources Living out your Passions With everything that you are doing in life, you might be neglecting your passions. This has been one area that I have been working on. I know that working on my passion projects is something that I need to do to be happy. Questions to consider
Call to Action
Tips/Resources Final Thoughts One thought that has changed the way I think about how I take care of myself is - "If I don't take good care of myself, who will?". We are responsible for taking care of ourselves.  If you feel overwhelmed and have lost parts of yourself, you are not alone. This year has been very intense. Growing up, I was taught to work hard, and self-care was not a topic often. Over the past months, I have learned that the only way I can be my best self is to take care of myself.
In this blog post, we will explore how to we can take care of ourselves. I am committing to doing these five things in July. Check-in with yourself With everything that we have to manage, it is easy to lose touch with ourselves. The most important part of you taking care of yourself is knowing how you feel mentally, emotionally, and physically. Often, we do not really know how we are doing because we do not take the time to ask ourselves. Question to reflect on
Ask for help The fact that you need help is not bad and does not mean you are lazy or incapable. It means that you are acknowledging that you have your hands full. Permitting yourself to ask for help and accepting it is a great way to take care of yourself. Question to reflect on
Do something for yourself We do a lot of things for other people around us and neglect ourselves. You are worth spending time on. It is time to prioritize yourself and do some self-care. I finally got a professional pedicure in over 18 months this weekend. It was a very small thing, but it made me feel much better. The sum of the small things that you do for yourself will make you feel better. Question to reflect on
Reconnect with people you like Having a deep connection with people is a crucial part of our lives. Plan to give them a call, grab some coffee, or a meal. When you connect with them, it is important to have deep conversations and check in with each other. Question to reflect on
Celebrate how far you have come There is so much power in celebrating the good that is happening in your life. Celebrating your milestones and accomplishments is crucial. Take a moment to remind yourself that you are doing amazing. The small and big wins are worth celebrating. Question to reflect on
Final Thoughts Committing to taking care of yourself is crucial. It needs to be something that you are intentional about and make an effort to do regularly. There is only one you, and no one can take better care of you than you can! Time for Reflection Why have you not been taking care of yourself? How do you take care of yourself? How are you going to continue taking care of yourself?  Taking care of your mental health is extremely crucial. We are all dealing with a lot as we work towards accomplishing our goals and living in the world today. There are so many things that impact our mental health. I strongly believe that we have to be intentional and actively maintain our mental health. Your happiness, health, and overall well-being are strongly dependent on how your mind is doing.
In this blog post, I will share the five things I am doing to prioritize my mental health. These are things that I strive to do daily for my well-being. #1: Sharing when I am struggling For some reason, I thought telling people I was having a bad day or struggling with something was a sign of weakness. It has a lot to with my upbringing, where we always had to say we were doing well and show strength. I ended up bottling in all my worries and not sharing them with anyone, not even the people closest to me. Unlearning this took me a long time. I still catch myself wanting to say I am doing fine when I am not. We need to start speaking honestly about our mental health. Questions to consider
#2: Shutting out the news and negative things Last year, I was obsessing over the news because I was following the political events in the US. I found myself watching a lot of news. I noticed that what I saw on the news was having a bigger impact on my mental health than I thought. After I went back to work, I realized that I could no longer dedicate brain space to all the bad news. I decided to reduce the amount of news that I read or listen to daily. Guarding my mind has had a positive effect on my overall well-being. Questions to consider
#3: Limiting my circle to have only people who uplift me The people you surround yourself with will influence your happiness and mental health. One thing that I have learned about myself is that I get impacted by the things that others around me are going through. On my quest for mental well-being, I have decided to keep my circle of friends very small. I make sure that people around me influence me positively, that I have a positive impact on their lives, and that we are there for one another through all life experiences. Questions to consider
#4: Saying "No" and setting boundaries Over the past years, I have realized that it is essential for me to set boundaries. The more I have grown, I know that my time and resources are limited. Considering that, I have to say no to things that I do not want to do and things that don't add value to my life. Letting people in my life and at work know what my boundaries are, has improved the quality of my life a lot. If I am spending my time doing something, it is because I want to do it. Questions to consider
#5: Reduce the pressure that I'm putting on myself One thing that impacts my mental health negatively is feeling overwhelmed. After searching for the most frequent cause, I realized that I was putting a lot of pressure on myself. I found myself striving for perfection in all areas of my life, which is impossible. Evaluating and resetting the standards that I hold myself to have been a game-changer for me. Sometimes I have to accept that getting something done is good enough, even if it is not perfect. I am also learning that it is ok to rest even when my to-do list is long. Questions to consider
Final Thoughts May is Mental Health Awareness Month in the US. It serves as a good reminder for us to prioritize our mental health. We need to take care of our mental health every single day to do all the amazing things we want to do in life. Time for Reflection
 This year, Mother's Day is incredibly special to me. I am celebrating my motherhood journey as a first-time mom. Life with my son has been one of the most amazing and life-changing journeys in my life. To celebrate this milestone, I will be reflecting on my experiences so far.
In this blog post, I will share the things that have changed over the past almost seven months since I had my baby. First things first - Having a baby during a pandemic Interestingly, I found out I was about six weeks pregnant in early March 2020 when the world was starting to see the impact of the pandemic. Working from home, our state being shut down, and being pregnant at the same time was surreal to me. I wondered how different my experience would have been at any other time. I never expected that my whole pregnancy and birth would happen while a pandemic took a toll on the world and changed our lives forever. How have I changed since I became a mom? The transformation that parents go through when they have children is impressive. Some new things happened, and other things became more heightened. My focus has increased One of my strengths is being focused. However, I have gone through the transformation that I have an additional motivator to be focused on. I am extremely intentional about how I spend my time and invest my energy. Especially since I am working full-time and caring for my baby, my time is very precious. My priority is to make sure my son is well taken care of while I build my career. I prepare for everything Being prepared for even the mundane things is now part of my life. I have my list and calendar appointments for everything. There is so much that I need to take care of these days. Being organized has been very pivotal to my success. I even have a list of the updates and questions for my son's pediatrician. I have become more emotionally sensitive People who know me personally know that I am a very emotional person. It does not take much to see me cry or be happy and sometimes have both feelings simultaneously. These days, I find some news stories that I do not want to watch because they affect me differently. I am generally much more sensitive. My sense of hearing is heightened Before I had a baby, it was not like I did not hear any noises. However, now I hear everything. I hear my baby make sounds in the other room. I hear every dog barking or things happening outside. I am sure my husband is tired of me asking, "did you hear that?". My ability to love unconditionally has multiplied I look at this little baby and wonder how I can love someone so much. Even at the end of a remarkably busy day for both of us, I thank God for the amazing gift of motherhood. I'm blessed that I get to love my son and teach him how to love others. Final Thoughts My motherhood journey has been this amazing because of my wonderful husband and my sister. They have been my constant companions. Seeing my husband being the best father to our son makes me extremely happy. Words cannot describe how blessed I feel to be able to share motherhood stories with my sister. Thank you, MS and DC, for making motherhood an amazing journey and raising our amazing boy. To all the amazing mothers and caregivers, Happy Mother’s Day to you. May you get to experience more joy as you pour into other people's lives.  Especially as we have been socially isolated over the last year, most of us are yearning for deeper human connections. The relationships we have with people in our lives matter now more than ever. Unfortunately, sometimes we do not reap all the benefits from our community because we keep our conversations and interactions superficial. A few years ago, my sister and I decided to have conversations that matter with each other and the people around us. It has been a rewarding change in our lives.
In this blog post, we will discuss the importance of and how to start having meaningful conversations. What are meaningful conversations?
What are the benefits of having meaningful conversations?
How to start having more meaningful conversations Sharing simple ways to approach having meaningful conversations with the people in your life: #1: Aim to connect on a deeper level Your intention and mindset when you start a conversation set the tone for how it will go. The best conversations happen when you really want to connect with the people you are talking to. Questions to consider:
#2: Make the person feel good A great way to start a deeper connection is to make the person feel comfortable and seen. When I have deep conversations, I want the person to feel that they are enough, have achieved a lot and I care about them. Questions to consider:
#3: Listen attentively to what they need We all know the feeling you have when people really care about you. Give people the opportunity to share what they really need. Questions to consider:
#4: Offer your support We all have something we can offer one another. Thinking about the ways you can contribute to their lives helps you have deeper connections. Questions to consider:
#5: Stay connected The best part of having meaningful conversations is keeping them going. When you make deeper connections, you want to stay connected over time. Questions to consider:
The Deeper Connection Challenge We can all have meaningful conversations over the next weeks. Inspired by #Big Talk, I came up with ten questions we can start asking to help us have meaningful conversations.
Final Thoughts The people in our lives will help us thrive and succeed. Now is a perfect time to make our connections matter. Time for Reflection Do you have conversations that matter? Why do you want to have conversations that matter? Who are you going to connect with over the next weeks? Great resources
 On March 8th, we celebrate International Women's Day. This year’s theme is #ChooseToChallenge: We can all choose to challenge and call out gender bias and inequality. We can all choose to seek out and celebrate women's achievements. And from challenge comes change. So let's all #ChooseToChallenge.
In this blog post, I will share the thoughts I have around Women's day this year with the help of five questions. What do gender bias and inequality mean? I like to start with defining terms to ensure that we understand what they mean. Gender Bias is defined as the unfair difference in the way women and men are treated, while Gender Inequity is defined as the social process by which men and women are not treated as equals. What do gender bias and inequality mean to me? Growing up In Nigeria, the culture propagates that there are significant differences between men and women. There is a mindset that women are weaker, and they are not given equal access to opportunities. It starts with limiting the belief in what girls can become when they grow up to being trained to think that the highest accomplishment for a woman is getting married and having children. There were so many examples of women that I knew who were not set up for success and fully dependent on the men in their lives. Fast forward to now, building my career as a woman in technology, bias and inequities exist in different ways. Ranging from the way people apply a gender lens when they view my contribution to not having access to the same networks and opportunities because of my gender. Another inequity that I experience is around compensation for the work that I do compared to my male peers. How do we challenge inequality and bias when we see it? Challenging inequity and bias is not the easiest thing to do. This International Women's Day theme is special because it reminds me that we need to choose to challenge and call out gender inequity and bias. Sometimes, I feel like I can challenge bias or inequity when it happens to others, more than when it is happening to me. Being an advocate and ally for others comes easily to me. I have learned that there is power in speaking out when we see something wrong. Furthermore, we can make a huge difference when we empower others to stand against the bias that they experience. How do we train our children to challenge inequality? As we continue to fight inequity, it is crucial that we pass on the knowledge to the next generation. Our sons and daughters need to be educated about inequity and the role they can plan to make the world more inclusive. I feel responsible for teaching my son, nieces, and nephews that they are equal and can achieve everything they want to do irrespective of their gender. I know that I can influence the next generation through the children that are in my family or the ones I meet. Thinking about the next generation and how we can change the world through them gives me hope. What concrete actions can we all take to create a more inclusive world? The great news is that we can all take action against gender bias and inequity. I came up with a list of three concrete things that we can all do. Firstly, we can increase the visibility of the biases we see every day. Secondly, we can uplift women and celebrate their accomplishments. Finally, we can collaborate with and support people who need a small boost to shine. Final Thoughts As we celebrate International Women's Day, let us celebrate our awesomeness and the amazing women in our lives. Take a moment to reflect on your strength as a woman. Happy Women's Day to all the women out there who are working to make the world a better place! Time for Reflection How are you going to challenge inequity and gender bias in your life? How will you uplift the women in your life? How will you celebrate yourself today?  You are unique, amazing and a great person. The more you know yourself, the easier it is to see how amazing you are. Especially at times when you need motivation, being able to remind yourself of your uniqueness helps give you a positive outlook.
In this blog post, we will explore different tools that can help you get to know yourself. Check out previous Her Toolkit posts to help you build your personal and professional development toolkit. Why is it important to get to know yourself?
What has been my experience with getting to know myself? Looking back on my journey, I realized that for the longest time I let other people define who I was. As I went through major transitions, I started to see that I did not really know myself. I did not know what I liked, my strengths or my worth. Spending time discovering myself has helped me find new and exciting things about myself. Getting to know myself and rediscovering myself is the greatest gift that I keep giving myself. What tools can we use? Sharing some of my previous blog posts where I shared very useful tools that helped me Know your worth! - ask for what you want and deserve Know Your Strengths - look at all the things you are good at Celebrate your accomplishments - appreciate the great moments in your life Start your Self-discovery journey - spend time getting to know your awesome self Know what you are afraid of - push past your fears and do great things Great Resources Check out my videos on Learning Self-Acceptance and How to get the value from self-assessments. Call to Action What do you love about yourself? Celebrate yourself  To accomplish the big goals that you have in your life, it is crucial to make continuous learning a priority. There is always a new skill that you can learn that will help amplify your success.
In this blog post, we will explore different tools that can help us continue learning. Check out previous Her Toolkit posts to help you build your personal and professional development toolkit. Why is it important to continuously learn?
What has been my experience with learning? Often when people ask me what has helped me get to where I am today, I often refer to the fact that I am always learning new things. Every day, I acknowledge that to get to where I want to be, I need to keep learning. To ensure that I have time to learn, I include learning goals in my yearly plans and ensure that I reserve time to learn regularly. Some of the different ways I learn include taking formal courses, learning from others, learning on the job and studying available resources. I now know that I enjoy learning and get excited when I look back on all the new things that I have learned over time. What tools can we use? Sharing some of my previous blog posts where I shared very useful tools that helped me
Great Resources Check out my videos on My experience learning to fail and Continuous Learning as a Tool to Build your Career. Call to Action What new things are you planning to learn over the next months? How can learning something new change your life?  Sharing your story is a very empowering thing to do. We all have our unique journeys and special stories to tell. When we tell our stories it helps us and the people around us.
In this blog post, we will explore different tools that can help us tell our amazing stories. Check out previous Her Toolkit posts to help you build your personal and professional development toolkit. Why is it important to tell your story?
What has been my experience with telling my story? Writing about my personal and professional journey has been a great part of my life over the past 3 years through my blog. For the longest time, I thought there was nothing special about my story. However, the moment I started sharing, I began to see how my journey was unique. Today I freely share my story because it helps me connect with people, reflect on how far I have come and encourage others to tell their own stories. What tools can we use? Sharing some of my previous blog posts where I shared very useful tools that helped me
Great Resources Check out my videos on My Experience Learning To Fail and How to Be Vulnerable for practical tips on self reflection and telling your story. Call to Action What part of your story would you like to share with people around you? Start telling your story.  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?
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
Great Resources
 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?
How do others or external factors influence us?
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
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
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
Final Thoughts
Call to Action
Great Resources
 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:
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
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
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
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
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
Final Thoughts
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  Recently, I have been thinking about my achievements and those of the people around me. Our accomplishments are a topic we need to get more comfortable thinking and talking about. To start the year, I would like to share something that will change your perspective this year. Focusing on your achievements will remind you of the good that has happened and is happening in your life.
In this blog post, we will explore some ways to form the good habit of celebrating your accomplishments. Why is it important to celebrate your accomplishments? There are many benefits of tracking and celebrating your accomplishments in your everyday live
How to make celebrating your Accomplishments a habit Know your Accomplishments When I hear people not being able to talk about their accomplishments, it makes me a little sad. In personal conversations, I try to ask more questions to understand the reason why people struggle with talking about the good things in their lives. The most significant reason I have seen is that we do not always see or know what we have achieved in life. It is important to take time to think about your accomplishments. Consider your achievement in all aspects of your life such as personal growth, professionally, financially, in your family, or in your business. Questions to consider
Track and maintain your Accomplishments log Documenting your accomplishments on an ongoing basis will help you on your quest to make celebrating your accomplishments a habit. One way I track my achievements is that I write them down in my accomplishment log. As part of my weekly journaling, I write down my highlights and accomplishments. To help me with this process, I collect all the great feedback I receive and things that I know I achieved. I have found great value in making this something I do regularly. This way, I can always remind myself of all my accomplishments. Questions to consider
Share your Accomplishments Now that you know your accomplishments and have a log, it's time to amplify the value of tracking your accomplishments by sharing them with the world. When I speak to people and hear them share their accomplishments, it motivates me. I aspire to be someone who motivates others to achieve their goals by sharing my experience with them as well. This has been one of the hardest parts for me on my learning journey. I have learned to remind myself that it is ok to talk about my accomplishments. If you read my posts, you'll see that I share my accomplishments, especially when I achieve my goals. Questions to consider
Celebrate your accomplishments Recognizing the effort you put in to accomplish something will inspire you in the future. When I look back at times when things were not easy but I was still able to achieve my goals, it gives me confidence in myself and helps me know that I can do it again. I have realized that I need to be intentional about celebrating my achievements. When I achieve any of my goals, I make it a point to celebrate in some way. Sometimes it takes me saying "I did it" and other times I do something special for myself. Questions to consider
Help others see their Accomplishments One of the ways to make celebrating accomplishments a habit is to help others around you celebrate their own accomplishments. It is sometimes easier to see people's shortcomings than see what they have achieved. Make it a priority to see the good work people are doing and recognize them. By looking out for their accomplishments and helping them celebrate it, you are making the world a more positive place. Questions to consider
Final Thoughts I want to take the time to remind you that you are amazing and that you can do anything you set your mind to do. Call to Action Which accomplishments are you proud of? Know your accomplishments. How are you going to track your accomplishments in 2020? Create your accomplishments log. Great Resources |
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