How We Communicate With Our Mentors (Hint: It’s Not Just Texting!)

In this day and age of social media, Skype and GHOs some days it feels like we talk to no one face to face. But when it comes to meeting with your mentor, 26 percent of you said you usually only talk with your mentor about once a month though 35 percent of you manage to talk with them once a week, but 50 percent said you mostly interacted with them face to face when you did see them, according to the 2016 Levo Mentorship Survey. E-mail was a distant second at 23.3 percent followed by texting at 5.44 percent and using other digital tools like social media, Slack and Levo at5.96 percent.

So now we know how often we are seeing mentors and how we are communicating them, but what is happening once we get them in conversation? Well, since your time is limited here are some tips.

1. Establish communication methods and frequency of contact from the beginning
It is good to set how you will communicate with them right from the beginning. Will it be mostly coffee meetings with emails? Or do you prefer long calls? You just want to respect your mentor’s time and not spring anything on them in the beginning.

2. Conversation topics
So you’ve got them now so what do you talk about? A good place to start is asking your mentor about how they got to where they are in their careers, what they would tell their younger selves and how they have dealt with failure. If you are looking for them to help you improve certain skills and help with tough situations (which 70 percent of you said is what your mentor has helped you with the most) then provide specific details and context.

3. Follow Up
After your session reflect on what you talk about it (it’s Ok to take notes!) and thank your mentor whether it is just a quick email or text.

Photo: Getty Images

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10 reasons to smile today

This post is sponsored through my partnership with Invisalign® clear aligners. If you’ve been considering treatment, check out the details here, and be sure to check out the “It Starts With a Smile” campaign to enter for a Smile Grant.

My active treatment with Invisalign® clear aligners has been completed for a few months now. I feel so happy that I did the treatment, especially since I’d been on the fence for years. I only had a handful of orthodontist appointments, hardly any pain, and I felt like they were inconspicuous. Since you can take the aligners out to eat and drink hot beverages, I didn’t feel like my everyday activities suffered in the least. Before I had Invisalign treatment, my teeth were fairly straight since I’d had braces two full times (plus one half a time when they put the wrong type of braces on me. Cool bro), but I was still really concerned about my overbite. After Invisalign, my overbite is just about gone (ortho wants it to move about 3mm before I switch to retainers) and my teeth are noticeably straighter.

Here’s a pic from a couple of years ago:




(Sigh. Liv was so little! Also, going back, it was interesting to see how many pics I used to take with funny faces or a close-mouthed smile, just to hide my overbite.)

and a recent one!






A bright confident smile is always a great accessory, and I thought that I’d share 10 benefits and little things to make you smile today:

1) Smiling can improve your mood. Smiling increases the production of endorphins, which are the same feel-good neurotransmitters we release during workouts. Even if you don’t *feel* happy, I like to fake it till I make it. I try to still feel and act pleasant on my grouchy days and find that it quickly turns around.

2) Somewhere in the world, baby goats are wearing pajamas.

3) Smiling can make you more creative and potentially increase productivity.

4) Smiling can decrease pain. Even with no emotion behind the smile, it can help to tolerate pain. I should have known this one during labor haha.

5) Smiling can reduce stress. Even though it can be challenging to smile in stressful situations (if I try to smile when I’m stressed, I’m pretty sure I look like the Joker), it can reduce your heart rate.

6) Smiling strengthens your immune system. It can stimulate the immune response by helping you relax.

7) Smiling makes you seem more approachable. It’s funny because I’ve mad a couple of close friends just through being friendly, smiling, and saying, “Hello.” It’s funny what can happen when you make an effort to be more pleasant to others.

8) Look younger? In this study, participants looked at photos of smiling faces and guessed that they were years younger.

9) Video clips of men trying liquid eyeliner. This always makes me smile.

10) Smiles are contagious. This study suggests that just by seeing someone else smile, you’re more likely to return the expression and enjoy all of the benefits listed above.

It’s funny how much a simple thing like smiling and happiness can transcend across multiple areas of life.






I’m really excited to share a new campaign with you for the chance to win a free Invisalign treatment.“It Starts With a Smile” is a great way to share your story and how Invisalign clear aligners would improve your confidence. You can read all of the details here!

What’s something that has made you smile lately?

If you’ve been considering Invisalign, go here to find a doctor near you.

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12 Laws of Karma That Will Change Your Life

1. THE LAW OF CAUSE AND EFFECT
What you saw, is what you will reap.

2. THE LAW OF CREATION
What we focus on is what we create.

3. THE LAW OF HUMILITY
Accept what is, let go of what was, and make changes towards what will be.

4. THE LAW OF GROWTH
Our own growth can happen over any circumstance.

5. THE LAW OF RESPONSIBILITY
Our lives are of our own doing, nothing else,

7. THE LAW OF FOCUS
One cannot direct attention beyond a single task.

8. THE LAW OF HOSPITALITY AND GIVING
Demonstrating selfessness shows our true intentions.

9. THE LAW OF CHANGE
History repeats itself unless changed.

10. THE LAW OF HERE AND NOW
The present moment is all we have.

11. THE LAW OF PATIENTE AND REWARD
A patient mindset will reap the highest reward.

12. THE LAW OF SIGNIFICANCE AND INSPIRATION
The best reward is one that makes an impakt.

6 basic skills any excellent manager should have

To be a successful manager means doing one thing well: creating an environment that allows your team to excel.

But the skills that are required to do that aren't often taught, or set out explicitly in job descriptions.

That doesn't mean that you have to go through the experience of being a bad manager before figuring out how to be an excellent one.

Weekdone.com has provided a useful infographic below, listing out the skills any excellent manager should have:

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Wake up yourself! Are you sleeping?

Wake up yourself!

What Do You Do When You’re Stuck in a Job You Hate?

This is a dilemma most of us have faced at one time or another, some of you might even be facing it right now. What do you do when you are in a job that you really don’t like? Perhaps it’s an issue with your boss or co-workers, or the responsibilities and focus of the position just doesn’t thrill you like you thought it would when you took the job. And, now, for whatever reason(s) you just aren’t able to leave. What do you do?

You have a couple of choices.

One choice is to suffer through day by day until you either get fired for your poor attitude or you find another job that you like more. All the while you’re in the position you make everyone around you nearly as miserable as you are, repelling potential customers, and bringing the company down. That’s one option.

The other option is to create happiness and meaning in your work life regardless of the current circumstances. This is a tall order. And, I’ve not seen too many people who are able to do this 100 percent of the time. I have seen that attitude – a focus on the positive, on finding happiness and meaning in tough situations – is key to success, change, and moving forward to better situations.

So, how do you create happiness and meaning when you’re stuck in a job that you hate?

I suggest that you break your days down into one hour segments. For example, imagine that you have to go to a one-hour meeting. You are dreading this pointless, unnecessary meeting and everything about it!

Now, imagine that at the end of this boring, time-sucking meeting, you are going to be tested with four simple questions about how you spent that hour:

• Did I do my best to be happy?
• Did I do my best to find meaning?
• Did I do my best to build positive relationships?
• Did I do my best to be fully engaged?

If you knew you were going to be tested, what would you do differently to raise your score on any of these four items?

I’ve posed this question to thousands of executives around the world. Some typical responses are:

• I would go into the meeting with a positive attitude.
• Instead of waiting for someone to make it interesting, I’d make it interesting myself.
• I’d try to help the presenter in some way instead of critiquing her in my head.
• I would try to build a positive relationship with someone in the room.
• I would pay attention and put away my smartphone.

Here’s my radical suggestion for what to do when you’re stuck in a job you hate. From now on, pretend that you are going to be tested every hour. Your heart and mind will thank you for it. Each hour that you spend at this job is an hour that you won’t get back. If you are miserable, it is your misery, not the company’s, not your boss’s, not your co-workers’. Why waste your hours being disengaged and cynical? By taking personal responsibility for your own engagement, you make a positive contribution to your company. Even more important, you begin creating a better, happier you!

Triggers is a #1 New York Times and Wall Street Journal best-seller!  

Order it at Amazon. 

See The Marshall Goldsmith Thinkers50 Video Blog for more of this video series.

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How To Get Six Pack Abs Without Leaving Your Couch

Many of us are dying to reveal our six pack abs, but we are fooled into believing the gym is the only solution. Not everyone is ready to commit their time, cough up costly membership fees or battle with negativity from body comparison.

In truth, there are many ways how to get six pack abs, and most surprising, this one doesn’t even ask you to stray from the couch!

Key Benefits of Couch-Based Ab Exercises

• No more excuses – easily performed anytime, at home or even while traveling
• Fast Workout – once you know the routine, you will have this workout finished in 5 minutes flat!
• No specialist equipment – all you need is you, your couch and a little sweat
• Reduced risk of injuries – no need to lift heavy weights or machines that put strain or your joints
• Builds abs of steel – all movements primarily focus on targeting your abdominal muscles

Ready to see this workout in action? Check out this brief instruction video by Sixpackfactory.com!

The Workout Summary

Repeat the following cycle 2-3 times, resting for 1-2 minutes between each cycle:

(20 repetitions)
– Knee Ups
– Leg Raises
– Cycles

REST for 10-20 seconds

– Reverse Crunch
– Leg on Couch Crunches
– Vertical Hip Thrusts

REST 10-20 seconds

(10 repetitions per side)
– Cross Crunch
– Reach and Touch
– Cross Leg Reverse Crunch

How to Get Six Pack Abs: Additional Tips

Key Point: To achieve a six pack you must already have a flat stomach. If you still have a little belly, you must focus on losing weight through diet in conjunction with this routine.

• For best effects, perform this routine 3-5 times per week.
• If this routine becomes easy: switch to a single cycle and take each exercise to 1-2 reps before failure.
• Further progression is achieved by pushing yourself further every week, one rep at a time.
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