If This Is A Secret Why Am I Telling It?. Russell Drake

establish a mentoring relationship:

      Be perceived as being able to help. A mentee must know that what you bring to the table (your special talent) will help them. Essentially, you are letting them know who you are, why you are there, how you can help and to set expectations. Your own self disclosure will help your mentee feel comfortable. You should gather information from your mentee that will help you gain rapport and establish a relationship.

      Create a trusting environment that offers and receives open feedback. A trusting environment is a two way street. Mentor and mentee should feel at ease with healthy discussions that further learning.

      Challenge and encourage learning that supports lessons learned from missteps. Sometimes great lessons are learned from trial and error. A mentor must allow the mentee to fail but encourage and challenge them to stand up and to start again.

      No matter who you are or where you are in life you can inspire others.

      “This is the beginning of a new day. You have been given this day to use as you will. You can waste it or use it for good. What you do today is important because you are exchanging a day of your life for it. When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone forever; in its place is something you have left behind... let it be something good.

      Author unknown

      9: Friendship can last a lifetime

      Friends are great to have. What more could one ask? True friendships are rare relationships that I wish were more common. Friendships are warm and comforting. The gathering of friends is a gathering of support and hope and fun.

      Our friends can help us see the many possibilities that are available to us. Each friend’s opinion shares a different perspective of who we are and what we can do. Being around others that you can trust and confide in builds self confidence and can relieve a lot of stress or anxiety.

      Friendship comes in many forms. There are friends that you talk to consistently. These friends are up to date on the latest everything in your life. You trade information and gossip daily or every couple of days. You either see them through the week or talk on the phone. I wrote this poem to describe my friends.

      My friends are treasures beyond traditional measures

      No room filled with gold has the volume enough to hold

      Their value and what they mean to me

      Friends are reflections that mirror my life’s directions

      Wherever I go wherever I rest I always know

      I will find them or they will find me

      My friends are allies who won’t tolerate any lies

      Our truth is our pact fashioning the way we act

      My friends who are favored forever

      My friends are treasures beyond traditional measures

      Wherever I go wherever I rest I always know

      Their value – I can feel them – my friends

      There are friends that you talk to infrequently. However, when you do speak, it seems like it was only yesterday that you last spoke to each other. The warmth and comfort comes flowing back and you start up wherever you left off.

      Then there are the friends yet to be made - the future friends. The future holds many possibilities among which are new friendships. People, who share an interest or vocation, will come into your life. Some of these people will become favored companions – friends.

      Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born.

      Anais Nin

      You cultivate friendships by being a friend. Sound simple doesn’t it? That means that friendship is a two way street. Your end of the friendship is important. You must be supportive, warm and comforting. You have to listen and be patient. Sometimes you have to be constructively critical to help a friend. We have to encourage our friends to be their best selves. Being a friend means working through rumors or misunderstandings. This will mean giving a friend the benefit of the doubt until you talk to them.

      Do friendships last a lifetime? Is there a time to quietly end a friendship? The type of friendship I have described to this point can last a lifetime. There may come a time to walk away from a friendship if your friend is one who:

      Always makes jokes at your expense

      Gets jealous when you are doing well

      Only call you as a last resort for activities

      Always seems negative or is complaining about something

      Tells you about plans they have made and leaves you out

      Only talks but never listens

      Wants to be your only friend and you’re their only friend

      Doesn’t sound much like friendship does it? You must be on guard to not fall into those behaviors yourself. So what do you do if your friendship is not longer healthy? Talk to your friend. Explain what bothers you and see if your friend understands. People sometimes unknowingly act a certain way. They may not recognize a problem because we have accepted the behavior for so long it seems natural. Speak your piece then use some active listening. You may be able to salvage a friendship. Otherwise it may be time to “breakup” with that friend.

      Friends in your life are like pillars on your porch. Sometimes they hold you up and sometimes they lean on you. Sometimes it’s just enough to know they’re standing by.

      Anonymous

      Here is an item to add to your to do list if you have one. If you do not have a list then you can start one with this.

      1)Make a list of all your friends.

      2)Call them.