Every few weeks I grab a book off the big shelf and peruse it to get some subtle (or not so) advice from the universe. Sometimes the book I pick up requires a full cover-to-cover read to get the message I needed. Other times I come across a book that has the answer in a small, right now, easy to consume kind of format.
“Tribe of Mentors” is just that. A quick mental reminder of things that should be obvious but sometimes get lost in the day.
When I flipped through it – Five excerpts hit my radar in exactly the right spot, matching the work I am doing with my clients as if by design.
Other people see you differently from the way you see yourself. And that multiplicity of perspectives is essential to making us who we are. Identity is always a two-way street—created from the inside out and the outside in. – Esther Perel, p. 179
I have the pleasure of working with some amazing clients and the first thing we work on is learning about themselves from others. It takes a lot of “humble pie” to ask people what they think of you and your work and then to adjust course as needed. Being open to other people’s perspectives is a critical skill for every leader.
Ignore the concept of “being yourself.” Of course this is literally true by definition, but it is a way to avoid self-improvement. – Adam Fisher, p. 429
WHOA – this one is counter to everything I have been taught and SO very true when you think about it in the light of self-improvement. When you “embrace your you-ness” too much, you get stuck in the “you rut” and stop adjusting course. You become staunch in the “it’s the way I am” and might as well be saying the cursed “we’ve ALWAYS done it this way.”
Great opportunities never have ‘great opportunity’ in the subject line. – Scott Belsky, p.459
#truth. I learned this lesson from life, over and over in the past few years. Everything great that has happened to me came in an unassuming wrapper or disguised as discomfort. When you feel that pang, the twinge of pain that life throws to you, just lean into it. Push through it. You’ll survive it and I guarantee the life you have will be infinitely better than the life you would have had just staring at it and complaining.
Life’s greatest opportunities run on their own schedule, not yours. – Scott Belsky, p.460
More #truth from Scott – keep moving forward, good things come in waves. Sometimes they are fast and furious and sometimes they are slow and seductive.
Overwhelmed and unfocused seem like two different problems. I’m thinking that overwhelm is about mentally managing what’s coming from outside yourself, while unfocused is about mentally managing what’s going on inside. – Neil Strauss, p99
I know so many people who use these words to describe their average day. Neil says it perfectly, both are about managing your environment. Best bet, manage it so it doesn’t manage you.
“Tribe of Mentors” is a book to help you get inspired without knowing what you need inspiration on.
It’s a great book to pick up and let fall open for a bit of wisdom. If you get a chance, grab this book and put it on your shelf for the day you need to give yourself a mentoring moment.
Ferriss, Timothy. “Tribe of Mentors: Short Life Advice from the Best in the World.” Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Kindle Edition.
