Stress

June in the moving business = STRESS

Everyone around the country wants to move at the same time, the same last two weeks of June.
Military members, Government services employees, all people under every National account and residential customers.
Thousands upon thousands of people criss crossing around the country wanting to settle in before August.

No matter how big you are as a Moving Company you will never have enough trucks or drivers to accommodate everyone, it is just logistically impossible.

You do your best and try to help as many as possible, now a days that takes in many options, freight, rail road, traler transits , transfers, straight trucks, tractor trailers, drivers pulling more than one trailer , we all try it all. And for the most part we are successful but there are times that we step on our best intentions.
And if you care than you stress.
You can't help it, you want things to go well and when they do not you take it personal, after all these are important belongings to someone and a stressful time in their lives. You want everything to go well.

At the end of a move that hug the driver gets from a customer is what it is all about. So when things go wrong or not as planned it normally can start a domino of problems and in June it can soon become a landslide. By the end of the day or week you are drained, both emotionally and physically.

I have been though 29 Junes now and they never get easy. They are always challenging and bring out the stress in everyone. People deal with stress differently and that becomes more of the challenge. In operations you need to deal with your own stress and the stress of others around you. In is always a ride down the rapids of emotions and for me a learning experience. I learn about myself and how to deal with my emotions as well as how others react and how I need to react to them and the circumstances.

Life is always a great big learning experience, a merry go round that we are all on. How we react and what we say and do is always a choice. You need to prioritize and take deep breaths and try your best not to have knee jerk reactions. Easier said than done when you are in the moment.

When the dust clears you hope you are better for it and that you learn and grow and at the end of the day or week you need to be able to tell yourself that you gave it your best effort. And in June in the moving business that means going beyond what you think your capabilities are.

Live and learn........and FORGIVE.

The Value in Giving

A very good story that I stumbled upon.....


From what we get in life, we make a living. From what we give, we make a life.” Arthur Ashe


So much time is spent on getting what we want out of life – focusing on our goals, defining and achieving our dreams, moving up, moving ahead, and moving past obstacles (and people) that stand in our way.

 Getting is important; it is definitely part of what makes life worth living. A part we often overlook is giving. Giving of ourselves – our time, our friendship, our guidance, our support. It is in the giving, that we often find life even more worth living.

  The sense of relief and gratitude from colleagues when we put down our own task at hand and focus on the challenges that are tearing them up. The renewed motivation and inspiration for work that emanates from our direct reports when we freely give our guidance and expertise to help them further their careers and fulfill their personal aspirations.

  Or the look on a child’s face or the feel of their hug when we comfort them or spend uninterrupted time with them doing exactly what they want to do.
  The connection with a loved one when we put their needs before our own.

Recently I came upon a woman in a parking garage who was frantic. The garage would only accept cash and she had none. She could not drive out of the garage without paying the attendant forty dollars. I was waiting behind her and getting a bit annoyed and impatient. After all, I had things to do! As I listened, I put my normal suspicion and skepticism aside and offered to pay for her car.

  The look of surprise and relief on her face confirmed once again that small acts of kindness have lasting impact.
  Later I received a check and a moving note from the woman with heartfelt appreciation.

There is a great value in selfishness and self-care, and we write of both those often.
 There is also a huge value in giving what we have to others, because it is in the giving that we truly connect, and that we receive more for ourselves in the end. -

Final Posting on Positive Attitudes

10. Live With Gratitude

So many positive things happen during our day and we often ignore them while letting one negative comment or event ruin our mood.
If you’re reading this then you probably live with a roof over your head and food in your belly which is a daily struggle for most of the world… so it should be easy to find tons of things you’re grateful for.

11. Recharge Your Batteries

A key to maintaining your positive attitude is taking the time to recharge your batteries. This might mean taking a few hours on the weekend to read a positive book or taking a few weeks for a holiday. If you’re not in the position to travel you can always have a Home Holiday where you simply switch off from the outside world and spend time doing things you love.

How To Use These 11 Tips

You now have 11 tips for maintaining your positive attitude but they are no use to you unless you implement them into your life. So pick the easiest tip or the one that you really love and introduce it into your life starting right now. Then over time start implementing the other tips and watch your positivity soar.

Remember - the choice is yours......

Positive Attitudes .. Part 3

7. Show Your Appreciation For Others

By appreciating others for a job well done, their outfit or their smile you start to cause a positive chain reaction. Don’t you feel great when you receive a compliment from someone else? Well if you want to receive more then start giving them out and watch what happens to the people around you.

8. Garbage In, Garbage Out

This is an expression from programming where the result is only as good as the input. So if you’re feeding yourself with negativity all day long then it’s pretty obvious you’re going to be feeling negative as well. A lot of the media including news and TV thrive on negativity so put yourself on a negativity diet (including people) and watch how much easier it is to maintain your positive attitude.

9. Stop Negative Thoughts In Their Tracks

It’s hard to be a constantly positive person and negative thoughts are going to bubble up from time to time. These will be more frequent in the beginning but decrease as you practice the tips we’re talking about. When you start to notice negative thoughts you can use a pattern interrupt to stop them in their tracks.
The idea is to interrupt your current thought pattern and change your state.

We will sum up our 11 tips on Positive Attitudes tomorrow...

More on Positive Attitudes

4. Use Books, Audio And Videos To Overload Your Brain With Positivity

There are millions of amazing books, audios and videos for you to absorb from people who are inspiring and living the life of their dreams. Tap into their positive emotions and their experience by learning how they think and what they do to create the lives they want. You can do this in the morning or while driving, eating, commuting, cooking, folding pads in your trailer… there’s always time for positivity.

5. Your Language Shapes Your Thoughts

Little changes in your language can change the way you think and how you act. Whenever someone greets you and asks how you’re doing do you answer with “fine” or “not too bad?” Think about just what this language is communicating to others… and yourself.
I always answer with “great,” “fantastic,” or “amazing.” Not only does this remind me that life really is great but it usually surprises and lifts the state of the person I’m talking to as well.

6. Hang Out With Positive People

It is often said that you will have a similar level of health, income and lifestyle as the 5 people you spend the most time with. So if you want to be fit then starting hanging out with fit people… want to start a business then hang out with business owners. And if you want to be positive make sure you’re hanging out with positive people.
This sounds simple but it is a BIGGIE with drivers...negativety breeds more negativety. Do not allow it , it will do no ggod. I have seen this time and time agin with drivers, they allow others to get in their heads and it destroys them.

More tomorrow.

11 Tips for Maintaining a Positive Attitude

Maintaining your positive attitude is critical when you want to achieve anything… or just to improve the quality of your life. Most success literature will talk about the power of positive thinking and how important it is. It’s often easier said than done.

This week we’ll look at 11 tips for maintaining your positive attitude no matter what’s going on in your life.

1. You Determine Your Reality

It’s important to realize that you determine your reality by the way you react to the outside world. When something happens you get to choose whether it’s a positive or negative experience and react accordingly.

2. Start Your Day Strong

Most of the population have to drag themselves out of bed and this sets a negative frame for their entire day. Positive people create a morning ritual that reinforces how great life is and how happy they are to be alive.
 I start my day by reading or listening to something positive. Whether you have 1 minute, 15 minutes or an hour to dedicate to your ritual you can start the day in whatever state you prefer.

3. Exercise Is The Natural Feel Good Drug

Exercise is a great way to maintain your positive attitude because of all the positive chemicals it releases into the blood stream.

More tomorrow

Posting on Blame

Road Warrior has left a new comment on your post "Blame":

I just ran into the "BLAME GAME"....3'rd party crater,took the measurements from IDUNNOWHERE?And pre made the crates,needless to say,3 fit,7 did not.They were 90 miles from their saw and SLINGING the "IT'S NOT MY FAULT"BULLSHIT....Let me back up,they were due at 8 am and got there at 4:30,They ended up getting wardrobe cartons from me to build large mirrors,still wanted to blame the one who gave them the measurements.......I told them we needed results not "not my fault"bullshit,just get it packed.....Another 11pm night....YUP..I FIXED IT....


From all of us....

God bless our Drivers.....at the end of the day you are asked to pick up the pieces and make sense out of what can be a down right crazy situation and one that you did not create.
Those can be the most frustrating ones because you had nothing to do with the situation or lack of communication or as in this case a third party dropping the ball but YOU are the person on the job.
Those are the toughest times bit those are also the times that separate the man from the boys and the elite from the average.



You are the Best......THANK YOU !

#4 and 5 in Self Confidence

 

4. See others as people.

Often we feel inadequate because we see others as ‘more than’ and ourselves as ‘less than’ by comparison. We see others as having it all together and not suffering the way we are. This is rarely true.

As soon as you get to know someone beyond the public persona, you soon discover a plethora of struggles that are the hallmark of the human condition.

Everyone has their cross to bear.

When you tune into this fact, you will get better at seeing people as people — we are all in this together! Understanding this comes as a relief and happens to build social confidence.

5. Act!

When all is said and done, you need to just go for it!

Confidence builds as you take positive action and begin to see positive results.

Take these elements of natural self-confidence and meditate on the ones that you resonate with. Take your understanding of them to a deeper level and watch your confidence grow.

Align yourself with the above and feel your self-confidence slide into place!

If you find yourself resisting the process of gaining greater self-confidence even though you know what it takes, then you may very well be prone to self-sabotage.
Self-sabotage is an entirely different issue that you should learn about, as it could be the only thing in your way!

#2 and 3 On Self Confidence

 

2. Know your values.

Values are indicators of what is important to you. When you know your priorities, you can focus on them and pass on everything else.
When you are not clear on what is important in your life, something happens that undermines your confidence — you typically turn to others to determine the agenda. This naturally puts you in a one-down position.

3. Get skills.

Confidence is often tied to competence, as it should be. I want the pilot of the plane I am riding in to be confident. I want his confidence to be based squarely on his level of skill. If he doesn’t have the skill to fly, he should lack confidence.

And the same goes for me in my life. When and where I don’t the have skill, I am okay lacking confidence. It is possible to lack confidence in spite of having an appropriate level of skill, but competence is always a factor.

Self Confidence

 

Here are the 5 essential elements of natural self-confidence:

 

 

1. Know your limits.

Interestingly, knowing what you can’t do is an important element in knowing what you can do with confidence. I remember as a young and nervous counselor that much of my hesitation came from thinking I needed to be able to work with and cure anyone of their psychological problems.

Over time, of course, I learned which people I work best with and which people I need to refer away. What a relief! Admitting to myself that I cannot work with just anyone was a huge confidence booster. I was no longer afraid to pass on a case, and I approached the people I could work with knowing I was well-equipped for the job.

Are you lacking confidence because you are biting off more than you can chew, or pretending you know something you don’t?

Vision

Leadership drives to Point B – Vision

After you have determined where you are, then you must determine where your Point B is; where do you want to go? What is the product, the goal, the designed purpose, the destination of your life, organization or efforts?

Vision is looking into the future or off into the distance for better circumstances. If we cannot articulate our vision in ten words or less, then we lack clarity in what we want; it cannot be branded, and people cannot relate to it.

“How would you describe a person in their late twenties or early thirties that was successful?”

Success SHOULD be having a meaningful job, starting a loving family, taking care of your parents, being a good neighbor, taking responsibility, enjoying yourselves and being a involved in the community.

More on Leadreship

Leadership starts with Point A – Humility

We must know where we are, before we can find the path to where we want to go. We must establish Point A, a beginning, to navigate to Point B, an end. Just like getting directions from our GPS in the car or a smartphone, you must enter a “starting” and an “ending” point.

For individuals, determining Point A is a humbling, self-assessment designed to learn their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and challenges. Determining Point A includes understanding your relationship to place, time, economics, spirituality, family, hometown, community, and friends, etc.

It is humbling to see yourself and your abilities in relation to the world, history and the future. This exercise in humility is the foundation for building confidence.

“Have confidence in yourself and do not doubt your abilities, but temper all with humility”.

Leadership

Leadership defined

The dictionary defines “lead” as “to take or conduct on the way”. Therefore, leadership is the ability to take or conduct on the way; that means you must start somewhere and go somewhere. Using mathematical language, Point A is where you start and Point B is where you want to go. Leadership is the ability to take yourself and others from Point A to Point B.

It also drives and motivates us to begin and complete a journey. We can prepare ourselves for the leadership journey by learning skills to navigate the way, understanding challenges, and overcoming adversities. Everyone is a leader.

Opportunity

I had a driver come in the other day and he thanked me for the opportunity that we gave him to drive for Arpin and that he wishes he would of come here years ago.

I have another good friend that drives for Arpin that was driver of the year about 10-15 years ago and he gave a speech the night we gave him the award that was all about - Opportunity-His name was Jerry Griffin, and I will never forget that speech.

He said that all we can ask for in life is to given opportunity and what we do it with it is up to us.

Great speech and right on.

That is all we can all ask.

Blame

When things get crazy or their are issues most people rush to see who is to blame.

Those that work the problem rush to see what to solve the issue.

There is always time to reflect back and see what could have been done to prevent the problem and , yes, perhaps who and where is started. Then constructively confront those involved.

The important thing is to learn from the mistake and move on.

But at the time of the situation all hands must be on the solution.
In the domestic household moving industry their are a lot of " moving" parts in one move. Many people are involved which means that their can be human error. That leads to issues on pack or load day or on delivery day. It WILL happen. This much we know, what we do not know is how YOU will react.
It is up to everybody in the circle to stay focused and to try to solve the problem. We can waste time and point fingers and get angry and in the end you will still be staring at the same problem OR we can talk to each other and try to work together to solve the problem.

Easier said then done again, normally we have someone upset staring us in the face or on the phoe who may not share our philosophy of staying cool. All they care about is getting the answer that they want.
I never said this would be easy.
But you must expect that and prepare for it. If you show that you are in command and you do not lower yourself to the crazy level and especially if you do not just try to push off the blame it can start to control the situation and the people around you.

Pushing off the blame will only add fuel to the fire.

Stay calm and carry on.

Courage

Courage

What is Courage?

Standing up for what you believe in is Courage.
Willing to actually listen to the other side and giving in when possible is Courage.
Helping those that cannot speak out for themselves is Courage.

Our earlier post on  ' Then They Came For Me" is about the courage to speak out and help.
Too many of us stay silent because we are afraid and it may not effect us and we feel if we do speak out it will only raise our head and put US in the light.
That is ok until it is you that is targeted or ridiculed or treated unfairly.
Then we look around and wonder why others are helping you or trying to stop an obvious injustice.

Courage comes from within, from your core believe in something.
You always must try to find the bridge and a way to stand tall without knocking others down.
That is the tricky part.

Courage is not being the bully or yelling the loudest, that only separates and divides.
You must try all angles and speak softly and reason whenever possible.
Sometimes that is easier said then done.
If you have exhausted all your ideas and resources and need to take it to the next level try to always keep in business like and not personal.
Personal revenge is ugly and will not gain you any popularity.

Do what it is necessary and move on, always with forgiveness in your heart.

That is Courage.

And Then They Came For Me

First they came for the communists,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a communist.

Then they came for the socialists,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a socialist.

Then they came for the trade unionists,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a Jew.

Then they came for the Catholics,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a Catholic.

Then they came for me,
and there was no one left to speak for me.

As difficult as it can be at times we need to always have the courage to stand up for what is right and to help those that are being treated wrongly or abused. You never know when the day may come that you are the one looking for support and a helping hand.

Old Farmer's Advise

An Old Farmer's Advice:

”Your fences need to be horse-high, pig-tight and bull-strong.�*

*Keep skunks and bankers at a distance.*

*Life is simpler when you plow around the stump.*

* A bumble bee is considerably faster than a John Deere tractor.*

* Words that soak into your ears are whispered...not yelled.*

* Meanness don't jes' happen overnight.*

* Forgive your enemies. It messes up their heads.*

* Do not corner something that you know is meaner than you.*

* It don't take a very big person to carry a grudge.*

* You cannot unsay a cruel word.*

* Every path has a few puddles.*

* When you wallow with pigs, expect to get dirty.*

* The best sermons are lived, not preached.

* Most of the stuff people worry about ain't never gonna happen anyway.*

* Don't judge folks by their relatives.*

* Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.*

* Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, 
you'll
enjoy it a second time.*

* Don't interfere with somethin' that ain't bothering you none.*

* Timing has a lot to do with the outcome of a Rain dance.*

* If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop diggin'.*
 

* Sometimes you get, and sometimes you get got.*

*The biggest troublemaker you'll probably ever have to deal with, watches 
you from the mirror every mornin'.*

* Always drink upstream from the herd.*

* Good judgment comes from experience, and a lotta that comes from bad
judgment.*

* Lettin' the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier than puttin' it back 
in.*

* If you get to thinkin' you're a person of some influence, try orderin'
somebody else's dog around.*

* Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply.*

*Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God.*
>--
Don't pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to fight,
he'll just kill you.

More on Self Respect

2. Learn to appreciate yourself to fully appreciate others.

Some people say that you have to like yourself before you can like others.

 This is true

. It’s important to note that if you don’t really know yourself, don’t control yourself, or don’t have mastery over your thoughts and actions, it’s hard to like yourself in more than a superficial way. In other words, we don’t focus energy on trying to like ourselves or trying to be perfect. In this regard, less really is more. Jim Rohn said it best: “Don’t wish it was easier; wish you were better.” Every day presents this opportunity.
Every day also presents opportunities to feel doubtful, unappreciated, and undervalued.

It’s your choice which way to feel.


3. Need a diversion? Look for a physical way to have fun.

When you feel your energy and vitality decreasing, go for a run or just a walk around, disrupt the thought pattern, and get back in the game.

 To this end, we encourage all of our employees to adopt a healthy and energized lifestyle.
 We take time to go outside and enjoy life and laugh often.

It is, after all,- YOUR CHOICE-

Self Respect

Portions from a article in Forbes written by Dick Williams-

3 Tips To Build The Trait That Drives Business: Self-Respect


We stopped looking to the world to provide what can only come from the inside. This one step was the key that helped us stop seeing our world as limiting or judgmental. Our entire paradigm changed. Here are three tips that will help you build this important but typically overlooked trait for yourself:

1. Real self-respect comes from dominion over self.

If our motives, words, and actions are dictated by outside forces rather than from within, others will sense our insecurity or duplicity.

The view we have of ourselves affects our own attitudes and behaviors, as well as how we view others.

 In fact, until we take the way we see ourselves into account, we can’t fully understand how others see and feel about themselves and their world. We will most likely blindly project our intentions onto their behavior and think ourselves objective.

 I love the way Goethe puts it: “Treat a man as he is, and he will remain as he is; treat a man as he can and should be, and he will become as he can and should be.” This isn’t to say that we trust every individual unconditionally, but it does mean that we treat each person we meet with respect.

More on our next posting-

It Pays To Shop Around

It Pays To Shop Around

How many of you have pulled into a truck stop to get a repair done?EVERY one of us....WELL?Last night I hit one for a Dot inspection for all the equipment and smelled rotten eggs when I got out of the truck...Bad news was 2 batteries were swollen and STANKIN....The cause was an alternator who's regulator was allowing my system to charge at over 15 volts....I knew what the cause and cure was,BUT(?),at a truck stop,could I afford it?The costs there were 2 batteries at $180.00 per,and $380.00 plus 2 hours labor(at$120.00 per hour) $240.00,plus environmental fee's and another $100.00?That's $1080.00 plus sales tax....For 2 batteries and an alternator???

Here's what I did,Disconnected the battery lead from the alternator,disconnected the SMALL wire from the same post(exciter wire that tells the alternator to work),disconnected the bad batteries...Started the Carrier generator to charge the 2 batteries that were left OK....Waited until this am and started a search for alternator repair,and lucked out.They had the needed new regulator,and whole sale batteries....The savings?$45.00 for the regulator,$82.00 per for the two batteries and $65.00 for the labor,that's $274.00 for the same repair....

IT PAYS TO SHOP AROUND!       ( From our driver Skip )

Five Warning Signs You Aren't Trusted As Much As You Think You Are

You will rarely, if ever, hear someone say that to you directly. Trust is one of those topics, along with religion and politics, that is usually taboo to discuss openly in the workplace. It’s often talked about in the shadows and hallways of the organization, not in conference rooms and one-on-one meetings.
Because trust is a difficult and sensitive issue to address, people often feel blind-sided when it finally comes to their attention that they have “trust issues” in their relationships. None of us likes to think we’re not trustworthy, and when we learn other people don’t perceive us that way, it comes as a shock and disappointment. However, it doesn’t have to be that way. If you pay attention, you can see the warning signs of low trust in your relationships. Here’s five warning signs you’re skating on the thin ice of low trust:

1. Rumors and gossip – Since trust can be a touchy subject to address, particularly with the person that isn’t trusted, low-trust concerns usually surface in rumors and gossip. If you find that you are frequently the subject of the office water cooler discussion, you may want to figure out why.

2. Secrecy and withholding of information – It goes without saying that people won’t share important information with you if you aren’t trusted. Consistently finding that you’re left in the dark or are the last to know about critical details should be a cause for concern.

3. Exclusion from activities – Being competent in your role and building positive relationships are two key components of being a trustworthy person. Being passed over, or worse, not even being considered for key projects or initiatives, may mean that you’re falling short in those two areas.

4. Your opinion isn’t valued – When trustworthy people speak, other people usually listen. Trust is built over a period of time as people prove they are competent, ethical, dependable, and care about others. If you don’t carry that sort of weight in your relationships, you may need to work on building trust.

5. Stress or tension – It often feels like you’re walking on eggshells when it comes to interacting with people you don’t trust. You’re suspicious of their motives, how they’ll react, and whether or not they’ll take advantage of you. If people always seem to be on guard around you, it could be a sign they don’t trust you.

Just because people don’t normally say “I don’t trust you” right to your face, doesn’t mean they aren’t communicating that truth to you in other more subtle, but no less serious ways. Pay attention to the warning signs of low trust in your relationships and take steps to build trust in healthy, productive ways.

FROM DRIVER SKIP ON MENTORING

I had an OLD guy who taught me, yes," Like energy and water, wisdom is not created nor is it destroyed, it is simply cycled." is true. Face it, there's very few young guys out here, AND, the one's here need to be pointed in the right direction....WHY NOT? Right now, I'm helping 5-6 guys with the tariff and helpers through out the country...IF, we want this industry to survive, education,
is the only answer...I'm here to help.

My Mentor

June 12th 2010 one of my most important mentor's passed away - Mr. Paul Arpin.

Paul Arpin was a mentor to may people, especially the last 20 years or so of his life. He found his biggest reward by helping drivers grow and learn and own their own agencies.
He would spend hours every day and at all times of the day just discussing how to improve and how to profit and manage.

I watched him start people out that had very little management skills or no prior experience on running their own business and turn them into successful independent business men.

Being a mentor was what he was born to do.

Paul Arpin was a self made multi- millionaire at a very young age. When he was married he and his wife, Peg, bought their first house with cash. Paul did not believe in loans. He worked hard for every dollar he owned and saved for what ever it is he wanted to purchase. Even in the work place, Paul bought his trucks and trailers out right. He build a company from a few million dollars a year to over 200 million.

And yet toward the end he would tell you that mentoring, helping others, was where he loved to spend his time and where he felt most fulfilled.

I know that he made a difference in my life. I try to listen and follow his example as best I could, even today.

Being a mentor is part of giving back and paying it forward.

Mr. Arpin lives on every day in the hearts and minds of people that he helped and cared for and mentored.

Who Should You Mentor ?

When Should You Mentor?

I once had the opportunity to take batting practice in Boston’s Fenway Park and to talk with Hall of Fame Red Sox great Jim Rice.
Jim talked about how he was mentored as a ball player throughout his life.

• He honed his athletic ability in his neighborhood growing up with older kids where he learned how to work hard to be better every day.
• Rice learned the art of catching a fly ball off the Green Monster from Carl Yastrzemski when he was just a rookie.
• Ted Williams showed him how to hit out of a slump before he was ever in a slump.

Rice then demonstrated how to swing the bat to get a hit every time. Wow, batting lessons from a hall-of-famer – it doesn’t get better than that. Well, they only way it could have been better is if I had those batting lessons before I got up to take batting practice.

Teaching others what you know is best done before they need to use your knowledge

Who Can Be a Mentor ?

Who Can Be a Mentor?

This story helps answer that question:

“Once, a man was so busy building his house that he didn’t have any time to plant trees. When he finished the house, he became occupied with his job and couldn’t take time away to plant trees. He met a woman at work; they married and had a daughter. His life became so busy with his family that he didn’t have time to plant any trees.

One summer day he was outside playing in his backyard with his daughter; the bright sun was making them both very hot.

‘Daddy,’ she said, looking up with her hand on her forehead to shade her eyes. ‘Why don’t we have any trees in our yard?’

He thought about what his daughter asked and replied, ‘I guess I was always too busy to plant any trees. I’m sorry I didn’t plant any when I built the house. It’s too late now. Even the fastest-growing trees would take at least five years to reach a height that would give us shade.’

To which his daughter replied, ‘Daddy, in five years I will only be eleven years old. I’ll still want to play in the backyard with you then, and I’ll still want shade from the trees then. So you’re right, the best time to plant trees would have been when you built the house; but the second best time to plant those trees is right now.’”

In this story, the mentor is the five-year old daughter who teaches her father that it’s never too late to make the right choice
Anyone can be a mentor if they are willing to pass on what they have learned

Why Should You Mentor

Why Should You Mentor?

The universe is built on self-sustaining cycles. Each cycle must give to the next to receive back in return.
There is a cycle to energy. It can’t be created or destroyed; it simply changes forms. Potential energy can be converted to kinetic energy, which can be converted to thermal energy, and then return to potential energy. The original energy remains.
There is a cycle to water. The limited amount of water that exists, continuously cycles through its various forms: evaporation from the earth, condensation in the clouds, and precipitation back to the earth. Water is never created or destroyed.
There is also a cycle to wisdom. In the book of Ecclesiastes we read, “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.” Like energy and water, wisdom is not created nor is it destroyed, it is simply cycled.

You must give that which you have received to open the pathway to receive even more

Mentor

What is a Mentor?

The definition of a mentor is “a wise and trusted counselor or teacher.”
The word mentor actually originates as a character in the Greek classic The Odyssey. Mentor was a close companion of the king and was entrusted to keep the king’s son safe until he returned.
Since we now use the name Mentor to describe “a wise and trusted counselor or teacher” you might assume that Mentor did a tremendous job in protecting and guiding the young son.  However, in the classic we find that Mentor’s efforts on his own were of no use in protecting or counseling or teaching the son.
It was not until Mentor obtained wisdom from the gods that he was able to give sage advice and encouragement to the son.

A mentor is simply one who passes on the wisdom they have obtained during their life