I believe we are impacted by everyone we come in contact with. Each one makes an impression somewhat, with the level of intensity depending on either our closeness to them or our charges on them (positive attraction to negative rejection). Either way a simple contact can leave us forever impacted. Even though we may not be conscious of it, a piece of ourselves is often awakened in us with our connection.

The selection of your influence is essential to achieving your goals and greater levels of growth. Mentors often contribute to the greatest advances in ourselves. I see a significant difference in my mindset when I’m surrounded by those who serve as living examples, exuding that which I seek to expand into. Mindset is key in fully enjoying experience and growth. Mentors often share messages of growth, love, motivation, etc. Not only do I experience the shift in attitude, I enjoy the effects of these messages too.

So stop and think for a moment of the five people you look up to the most. Its okay if you can’t think of all five now.

Openly think about it now and keep your mind open to it during the next week. It can be lots of fun to find people you can admire in one way or another.

_____________________________________________________________
BRAINSTORM:
(Jot down the 1st few mentors that come to mind. Its okay to get creative and messy here.)

_____________________________________________________________
TOP 5: The Final List

Who _________ Why/What About Them Is Outstanding___________

1. ____________ _______________________________________

2. ____________ _______________________________________

3. ____________ _______________________________________

4. ____________ _______________________________________

5. ____________ _______________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

Many people are attracted to a mentor who has accomplished what they seek to or is very experienced in something they are curious about (often to the highest degree) and is an enthusiastic source of encouragement.

Outstanding qualities of mentors can be based on ANYTHING, so have fun to find silly things that do matter to you. As you explore yourself throughout life, you go through all kinds of phases. In each you learn more about your essential self, your core being, who you are.

I am going through this too and don’t want to impact yours, so I’ll post mine later…

Have fun!

by Danielle Crume © 2009

I invite you to get more free refreshing lifestyle ideas, organization and clarity tips, and fun at http://www.youknowitbyheart.com. Stay connected to receive your goodies.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/entrepreneurship-articles/who-do-you-surround-yourself-with-a-fresh-look-at-your-mentors-1580889.html

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There are seven metrics you can use to determine whether an investment on your behalf is trustworthy.

Return On Involvement
Really this is the key to anything we are involved with.  Time is not proportional to involvement.  What you did, do, and bring to the table should make a positive difference.  Think of it this way, without involvement your ability to benefit can only go so high.  Involvement is not a onetime occurrence.  It must be fueled at the right time.  Listen first by asking why something is being done and then make a decision on whether your involvement can help.  Timing is everything.   

Return On Image
Through involvement we create an image of ourselves to others.  Image is more than appearance.  I’m not saying dressing nice and being clean is not worthy.  What I am saying is image should put in others mindset what you are doing is helpful and worthy of consideration.  By doing so, others will join you because it’s important.

Return On Imagination
Ask yourself, if we do this what it will look like.  How can we make it grow to create an even more robust marketplace and society?  This is where a facilitation session would help tremendously.

Return On Intensity
Once imagination is lit, filter the items into goals.  For each goal find the metrics needed to keep you on track and measure results.  Over time these metrics may evolve, however, most will be mainstays.  Then, we have a tune to march to.  March we will because the intensity created brings more fun and a rush of endorphins.  Just be sure to pace yourself or you’ll get out of control, run into stress, burnout, and a load of other problems.

Return On Intelligence
As we accomplish goals we discover new found knowledge and intelligence.  This intelligence has a tremendous amount of usefulness.   It is street smarts through practical application and distribution to verticals, industries, government, and society.  

Return On Influence
Your return on influence becomes greater because those who may have thought in the involvement phase it wasn’t of interest now jump on board because they want to be involved with it.  They don’t want to miss anything.  This creates new relationships and make sure you leverage them to benefit you and the people who have been with you.  Of course, new relationships allow us to venture into other exciting areas and have other trusted and trustworthy allies on our side.  Even those who might have been once opposed to you may be a part of your endeavor.  That’s alright. 

Return On Investment
Compete and if there still isn’t justification to put in your work, time, and money then it probably isn’t a good investment for you because you will not receive a return in all the areas mentioned and the bottom line, profitability (money), will not increase.  However, if there is justification then pursue with vigor and watch your bottom line grow.  Now you have a return on investment giving you more options to help, support, and serve others.  Be patient, persistent, and convincing to see your return on investment.  Depending on the situation it can be instant or take years.  What you’ll see are people jockeying for position.  You may think, what took them so long.  That’s just the way business is.  Take them by storm to accelerate.  You might be surprised they want to create a wave of fun results faster.  Of course, when it’s real good the sooner it happens the better. In each section above identify examples of investments where you were on both sides.  This will empower your mindset to relate to the mindset of those who are on your side, on the other side, neutral, or need to be recruited. 

Raj Gavurla works with organizations and sports teams that want more profitability and productivity by improving their mindset, mood, and motivation. He is the author of Winning at Entrepreneurship. Sign up for a free strategy (chapter) from Winning at Entrepreneurship and receive tips at www.rajgavurla.com to learn more.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/entrepreneurship-articles/maximize-return-on-investment-roi-1503117.html

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Working Your Way Through

Rita was experiencing intense grief emotions. Seven months earlier, her daughter had been killed in an automobile accident. Rita was still finding her way along the road of grief, through a void that could never be filled, to a life that would be forever different. Intense grief emotions such as those Rita experienced are not a sign of psychological problems, mental illness or an inability to cope. They are a natural response to a loss that goes deep, such as the death of a family member or other loved one. Though they are painful, the good news is that they do pass, and in the meantime you can listen and learn from them, and even heal and grow strong through them. Here are a few ways to do so.

Realize There Is Nothing “Wrong” With You

Intense grief emotions are difficult to describe to those who have not experienced them. They can and often do come to us at unexpected times, sometimes with no warning and with no evident “trigger”. They can be frequent in the days, weeks and months immediately following a severe loss, usually lessening in frequency and intensity with good grieving and the blessed passing of time. Difficult as they might be intense grief emotions are not uncommon, nor are they cause for alarm. In her book How to Go on Living When Someone You Love Dies, Dr. Therese Rando notes that grief can be severe and might make you “conclude that you have lost touch with reality and are going crazy.” And she offers assurance: “you are not.”

Do Not Try To Escape Or Avoid Intense Grief Emotions

Intense emotions can be frightening and exhausting and they can immobilize us for a short period of time. They can also be awkward, depending on where we are and who we’re with when the emotions flood through us. But they are not abnormal; they are not permanently debilitating. “I was in a restaurant with my brother about seven weeks after my wife died,” recalls Brent. “I had to excuse myself from the table and go outside to the parking lot for a while.” Especially in the early weeks and months following a loss, be aware that your experiences of grief may be especially intense at times. Be patient and flexible with yourself; respect the emotions, take the time you need to allow them to be -and to pass.

Listen And Learn From Your Intense Emotions

“Grief work” is often an “inside job.” After an experience of feeling intense grief emotions, take a period of quiet time to go “inside” your thoughts and see what your emotions might be telling you about the challenges and changes you now face. Perhaps the void left in your life suggests you need to take greater responsibility in certain areas. Perhaps your intense grief emotions are pointing you in the direction of a deeper experience of faith. You may find that your loss has left you questioning your sense of worth. Listen well to what your intense emotions are teaching you about good grieving, healing and identifying and accepting the changes you now face. “No matter how much it hurts and it may be the greatest pain in life-grief can be an end in itself, a pure expression of love.”

Talk And Talk Some More

Talk about your loved one. Telling stories about your deceased loved one is a way to process the new reality of that person’s physical absence. Those who care about you will listen with attentive love. Bob Deits, author of Life after Loss, says that talking about a deceased loved one “helps every bit as much as having air to breathe and food to eat-and for basically the same reason: survival. The parent who has lost a child or the widowed person who is alone for the first time in 50 years is terrified that they might forget the smallest detail of their lost loved one. I hear such people begging just to hear the name of the one who is deceased.” It also helps to talk about your intense grief emotions. Say the words out loud: “I sobbed until my body shook.” “I had to lean against the wall for support.” “I felt like the grief was actually physical.” Share these experiences with a trusted friend, a professional counselor, or those in a support group. When you hear your own voice put into words how you survived an experience of intense grief, you see and name your own healing strength.

Take The Time You Need

Grief knows no timeline. Do not impose on yourself a schedule based on previous experiences of grief or what well intentioned friends and loved ones might suggest. You will face these emotions as long as you need to-and the time you need often depends on variables such as what or who you are grieving, the details of the loss, your support systems, childhood memories, guilt and fear associated with your loss, and your current relationships, health and lifestyle. Let time-all the time you need-be a gentle and healing friend. In her supportive book The Mourning Handbook, Helen Fitzgerald emphasizes the importance of taking the time you need. She is forthright about time and offers hope: “Keeping in mind the definition of grief as “intense emotional suffering,” you can look forward, at some point to an end to these over whelming emotions.”

Reach Our For Support

It was a decisive moment in my life. I sat at the kitchen table crushed with loss and overwhelmed with sadness, fear and anger. As I looked around the kitchen, I could hear all the familiar household sounds the purr of the refrigerator, the tick of the wall clock, the television in the living room. In that moment when the world around me seemed oblivious to my emotional death, I desperately tried to locate something that would offer a harbor or relief from the pain. Anything I just wanted to stop hurting. Then I saw it: the bottle of scotch behind the toaster. I stared at it for a long moment, imagining its burning taste and longing for the tranquil sea of numbness I would find at the bottom of the bottle. I also looked at the telephone. “Or I could call Jean.” I called Jean. She said she’d be right over-or I could grab a toothbrush and come to her house. I went to her house. I will believe for the rest of my life that the power of grace and my willingness to reach out for help kept me from taking a detour in life down the road toward alcoholism and hopelessness. I recall that moment with tremendous humility and gratitude-the night grace and friendship took my hand to steady me through intense grief emotions toward the path of healing. In addition to friends and loved ones, people in grief support groups are some of your best allies when you experience intense grief emotions. These companions are treading the same painful path you are. The details of their stories might be different, but the emotional void and struggle they face every day are basically the same as yours. Unlike anyone else, they can hear your anguish and identify with what you are enduring. Margo Steinberg, M.S.W., L.C.S.W., notes that bereavement groups have a strong, positive impact on participants and provide a “safe haven…for emotional expression and release of feelings.” Reaching out to the members of a grief support group is not an act of weakness; it is a choice for healing. Over time, you will find that the give and take of sharing with others in a bereavement group is one of the greatest satisfactions along your healing path.

Take Heart

In companion through the Darkness: Inner Dialogues on Grief, Stephanie Ericsson names grief as the “constant reawakening that things are now different.” The loss of a loved one leaves everything different -except love. Our intense grief emotions are the result of equally intense grief emotions of love. We would not feel the pain of loss had we not loved deeply. Rita had given life to her daughter. She had cradled her precious child in her arms, held her hand as she took her first steps, guided her through school, and wept tears of joy at her wedding. Like Rita’s experience, your intense grief emotions are normal and natural result of your love. And the power of that love lives on to help you heal and grow strong.

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