I just finished connecting with a dear colleague of mine and our conversation prompted me to sit down and capture some of our thoughts. We are both going through some changes and what it did for me was validate what I have been sharing with others through mentoring sessions and our mentor training program. Let me share some of those thoughts!

All too often in our drive to bring value to others, in our desire to be of service we sometimes forget to be of service to ourselves. As a great mentor you want to make sure that you have looked at where you are at regarding your health on a physical and mental perspective. You should also examine where you are in your spiritual journey. When I first started my journey to share the “gift of mentoring” I was not truly in touch with my spiritual side. The passing of my Mom in 2007 sparked the deeper understanding of that part of my life and what it would mean in my service to others.

We all lead busy lives and experience many different things perhaps all at the same time. This is where some make reference to being under stress or how stress is impacting their health. As part of my better understanding of “me” I now know that stress is something that I cause myself. It is something that I can manage simply by training my body to not react to situations and to manage the situations rather than allowing the situation to manage me. Easy to say, but hard to do. Think of the impact that you would have on a person you are spending time with as a mentor and you are not able to deal with situations that we use to say were stress related. That’s right – we use to say the word “stress”!!

So where does all of this take me? Here are some suggestions:

1. Listen to your body with regards to your overall health and address health related situations when they occur
2. Create a workable fitness routine and follow it on a consistent basis
3. Make sure that you are eating healthy
4. Get back on track spiritually
5. Believe in yourself – love yourself unconditionally
6. Meditate on a regular basis
7. Use my “white room technique” in order to regain your focus and begin moving forward

This could be a long list but I know you get the point. To be a great mentor and to be successful in your mentoring relationships you need to be leading by example. You do need to believe in yourself and you do need to love yourself unconditionally. Failure to do so does impact those around you and also the people that you spend time with in a mentoring relationship.

 "The most powerful relationship you will ever have is the relationship with yourself.” – Steve Maraboli

"You must love yourself before you love another. By accepting yourself and fully being what you are, your simple presence can make others happy. “– Unknown