Nothing wrong or even terribly odd about that, except that he is laying claim to the job of crafting the coming history of the United States. A leap of such audacity is odd. The air of unease at the Democratic convention this week was not just a result of the Clinton psychodrama. The deeper anxiety was that the party was nominating a man of many gifts but precious few accomplishments -- bearing even fewer witnesses.

When John Kerry was introduced at his convention four years ago, an honor guard of a dozen mates from his Vietnam days surrounded him on the podium attesting to his character and readiness to lead. Such personal testimonials are the norm. The roster of fellow soldiers or fellow senators who could from personal experience vouch for John McCain is rather long. At a less partisan date in the calendar, that roster might even include Democrats Russ Feingold and Edward Kennedy, with whom John McCain has worked to fashion important legislation.
Eerily missing at the Democratic convention this year were people of stature who were seriously involved at some point in Obama's life standing up to say: I know Barack Obama. I've been with Barack Obama. We've toiled/endured together. You can trust him. I do.

Hillary Clinton could have said something like that. She and Obama had, after all, engaged in a historic, utterly compelling contest for the nomination. During her convention speech, you kept waiting for her to offer just one line of testimony: I have come to know this man, to admire this man, to see his character, his courage, his wisdom, his judgment. Whatever. Anything.

Instead, nothing. She of course endorsed him. But the endorsement was entirely programmatic: We're all Democrats. He's a Democrat. He believes what you believe. So we must elect him -- I am currently unavailable -- to get Democratic things done. God bless America.

Clinton's withholding the "I've come to know this man" was vindictive and supremely self-serving -- but jarring, too, because you realize that if she didn't do it, no one else would. Not because of any inherent deficiency in Obama's character. But simply as a reflection of a young life with a biography remarkably thin by the standard of presidential candidates.

Who was there to speak about the real Barack Obama? His wife. She could tell you about Barack the father, the husband, the family man in a winning and perfectly sincere way. But that takes you only so far. It doesn't take you to the public man, the national leader.

Who is to testify to that? Hillary's husband on night three did aver that Obama is "ready to lead." However, he offered not a shred of evidence, let alone personal experience with Obama. And although he pulled it off charmingly, everyone knew that, having been suggesting precisely the opposite for months, he meant not a word of it.

Obama's vice presidential selection, Joe Biden, naturally advertised his patron's virtues, such as the fact that he had "reached across party lines to . . . keep nuclear weapons out of the hands of terrorists." But securing loose nukes is as bipartisan as motherhood and as uncontroversial as apple pie. The measure was so minimal that it passed by voice vote and received near zero media coverage.

Thought experiment. Assume John McCain had retired from politics. Would he have testified to Obama's political courage in reaching across the aisle to work with him on ethics reform, a collaboration Obama boasted about in the Saddleback debate? "In fact," reports the Annenberg Political Fact Check, "the two worked together for barely a week, after which McCain accused Obama of 'partisan posturing' " -- and launched a volcanic missive charging him with double-cross.

So where are the colleagues? The buddies? The political or spiritual soul mates? His most important spiritual adviser and mentor was Jeremiah Wright. But he's out. Then there's William Ayers, with whom he served on a board. He's out. Where are the others?

The oddity of this convention is that its central figure is the ultimate self-made man, a dazzling mysterious Gatsby. The palpable apprehension is that the anointed is a stranger -- a deeply engaging, elegant, brilliant stranger with whom the Democrats had a torrid affair. Having slowly woken up, they see the ring and wonder who exactly they married last night. 

Friday, August 29, 2008; Page A15

Then there is always a break of silence. The response: "I didn't ask my perspective mentor anything."

That is the biggest mistake a person who wants to get gifts from people can do.

There are Mentors and there are "mentors". A real mentor is somebody who takes the time with the gifter and sets up a marketing plan. A real mentor shows the protege a way to place ads on the internet, and in places they will be seen.

A real mentor is there to help the protege get going from the start.  The mentor really cares about obtaining successful outcomes.

I have been an internet marketer for a while now, and all my proteges become successful at cash gifting, as well as all aspects of internet marketing.

When you are ready to become a real cash gifter let me know and people WILL send you money!

Tyrie Williams

http://www.manifestyourprosperity.com

Tenho lido bastante ultimamente sobre um tema que interessa e que acho bacana: mentores. Um dos textos que gostei foi esse. Tenho procurado conhecer, aprender e me inspirar em pessoas que já conseguiram fazer coisas diferentes, especiais. Pessoas que conseguiram chegar mais longe. Não para fazer igual, mas para também fazer diferente.

Um texto que li há um tempo e gostei muito foi Coffee-coach, do Bob Wollheim, no site WNews. Leio os artigos do Bob toda semana e tem coisas muito boas, que te despertam, te informam, te motivam. Ele é um empreendedor de sucesso.

Um parágrafo que gostei:

Respostas prontas não existem e um bom coach, penso, é alguém que será capaz de clarear nossos pensamentos, organizar nossas dúvidas, classificar nossas prioridades, simplificar nssos raciocínios e nos colocar de volta em nosso próprio caminho.

Nesse artigo, ele fala de uma forma que adota, diferente do usual. Ele marca um café com um amigo ou com uma pessoa que pode ser seu mentor, e bate um papo, troca informações, interage. No fim, os dois aprendem. Nada formal, mas muito efetivo.

Tenho tentado fazer isso esse ano de forma mais organizada, e tenho uma lista das pessoas que quero conhecer, veja o início dela:

• Bob Wollheim
• Raul Candeloro
• Ricardo Jordão
• Edmour Saiani

Você me recomenda mais alguém?

The path to change and innovation within our not-for-profit business environment compared to our for-profit corporate world cousins can often be a lonely one.  There is a natural tension lurking within not-for-profit corporations between mission, volunteerism and revenue which can often impact creativity and innovation. 

Yet, now more than even, associations need the creative energies, courage and political acumen of innovative executives who can engineer the needed transformation within traditional associations.  Even more, associations need talented staff at all levels who are not afraid to venture out on that limb to deliver their valuable ideas and thoughts.

So how do we keep from stifling the innovation pipeline?  How do we inspire new generations of association staff to take risks?  How do we maintain the motivation to weather the obstacles of change to make a lasting difference within our association?  

The answer is a tiny spark of encouragement.  Not allot… it can be but one person… but just enough to serve as an anchor which keeps talented association professionals who are full of potential from drifting away from a powerful idea prematurely.  To provide a compass which helps them chart a course for navigating change.  Someone to tell them that, in fact, they aren’t crazy when everyone else might think they are living on another planet.    

Our world has seen countless innovators who summoned the courage to persevere.  If you wisely accept the adage that “no person is an island”, there were likely many unsung heroes who knowingly or unknowingly served as a mentor who helped shape these great people.  We are all human beings and need just a little bit of encouragement from time-to-time to muster the courage to keep moving forward.  In its most complex or even its simplest form, this is the role that mentors play in our lives.

Find a mentor… be a mentor… look for mentors in unexpected people and places… read about mentors… they will provide the wisdom and encouragement you need to bring visionary ideas to the right level and into existence.

By Bakari Akil II, Ph.D.

Imagine, the goal or outcome you desire is somewhere off in the distance. You may want to create a new challenge for yourself or continue at something you already have experience with. Yet, your confidence to begin or carry on may be low to non-existent.

What do you do?

At times we lose sight of the big picture because of a momentary setback or even a series of setbacks. An event may occur at just the 'wrong' moment or may be so overwhelming that we figure accomplishing our goals may be impossible.

During these moments, I ask that you step back and re-focus. In order to gain a different perspective, take a different approach. If you are thinking about something new but are lacking confidence, try this. Take out a sheet of paper. Then think about your life and list all of the numerous achievements, big or small, that demonstrate that you are capable of meeting, finishing and excelling at any activity you have set your sights upon.

If you are having doubts about some goal that you have been working on for a while, say a sport or educational goal, list all of the successes, no matter how minor, you have had up to this point. By doing this exercise it allows you to see the growth and development you have already achieved. It also helps you to change your mental state and realize that facing difficulty is not a new experience and one that you have successfully mastered before.

Review your list as necessary and if you want you can transfer it to index cards or a small sheet of paper that you can review wherever you go. Sometimes we just need a little reminder of just how great we really are...... and that we can accomplish what we will.

Let's face it:  We don't always work with people we like.  In fact, we might work with people we don't like at all.  We may even work with people so crazy that the Richter scale seems to pick up their mood swings, but somehow we have to find ways to still work with them and maintain our sanity.  Although, I hear the mental hospital is accepting applications.

For all of those individuals who say that a psychology major is worth nothing without a Master's or PhD, let us look at all the ways psychology has helped me continue my job in a sane manner:

Let's look at the boss.  My boss, in particular, is a constant liar.  I can't figure out exactly why she lies about everything, but I'm starting to think it has something to do with her constant need to be right, mixed with the fact that she doesn't do her job, so she doesn't actually know what's going on at our work.

But we may all work with difficult bosses at some point.  So what do we do? Look up all of their supposed psychological disorders in the DSM-IV, and take pity on them for being so crazy.  Just smile and nod when they say things that don't add up, all the while thinking how great they'd look wearing a straight-jacket.

And later, they may take our smiling and nodding to mean we're "laid back," making them appreciate us even more in their not-quite-there mind.

And if your boss isn't crazy enough to diagnose, there's always the co-workers.  They may be hypochondriacs, constantly going home sick or trying to go home sick.  They may have narcissistic behaviors, thinking they are the saving grace of the company. 

OR, if you're lucky, they have some obsessive-compulsive behaviors, and end up keeping your entire workspace organized.

Hopefully they have something really fun to diagnose to keep you really busy during any down-time.

If you have subordinates, I think this is the best and most helpful time to understand the inner-workings of people.  Because I have a boss that was not trained properly in management and people skills, I see what works and doesn't work in the management field.  And then I get to use my knowledge to be the most helpful "teacher/mentor" of my own.

Recently, I've been given charge of a high-functioning high school volunteer with a few diagnosed personality disorders.  As we walked the halls, she told me that she had been diagnosed with Asperger's disorder, bi-polar disorder, and one other disorder that I can't remember.  (Probably because I suffer from some sort of dementia)

As she was telling me this, I almost wanted to sigh with relief.  FINALLY, a person who is open with all of their personality quirks.

When working with a bunch of crazies, it's always nice when someone just admits they're crazy.

So have a ball with the DSM-IV catalog of crazy.  With a little psychological analysis, you can be working with a bunch of compulsive liars and sociopaths.  Congrats!

-The Boxcar Children

Hallo mal wieder!!

Vorgestern und gestern waren meine Freundin und ich auf dem MINT-Treffen, von dem ich schon berichtet habe. Vielleicht folgen noch ein paar Bilder aus Berlin, mal sehen... hier habe ich euch auf alle Fälle erst mal die Präsentation.

Ihr könnt sie gerne anschauen und bewerten!!

LG, Age

Decide Why You Want a Mentor Program -- Set your program up to succeed by defining goals and involving top execs.
Pair Up Proteges and Mentors -- Create profiles and match people according to your goals.
Set the Rules for Engagement -- Make sure people meet regularly — and know what to talk about when they do.
Keep Tabs on the Program -- Make sure mentoring is providing the results you want.

Not that I'm looking to integrate mentorship into my group's social media strategy, I appreciated the explicit decision and goal-setting advice.  I've seen many explicit promotions of mentorship in people development efforts, but I've never had any real idea of what that mentorship was supposed to accomplish.  Now that I have a chance to drive this topic, perhaps I can learn from those mistakes!

Date:      2nd September,2008
Venue:   The India Islamic Center (near the Habitat Center)
Time:      6.00p.m. - 9.30 p.m. The registration shall start at 6.00p.m.

The registration fee is Rs. 350/- subject to any other communication in this regard from the Division Governor of Toastmaster's Club.

Check out this review of one Generations, of Debbie's plays Review. Doesn't it just make you want to see it now, now now???

Knowing the majority of people will be an order of magnitude more motivated to move away from pain, is an incredibly valuable tool we have at our disposal in creating new income streams.  With this knowledge we can powerfully create goals that are aligned with our primary behavior pattern.  We can begin to align our goals at a foundational level.

Most people can quickly list several wants, such as a new car, an updated kitchen, money to send children to day care or private school and perhaps even list their desired retirement income.  Simply stated, most of us, with ease, can in a few moments list our goals.  Few people take time to strip away the layers of their goal to understand their why?  Doesn’t it make sense to understand why we want to achieve our goals?  The value of understanding your why is profound, as understanding what you are moving away from, and emotionalizing your biggest fears, creates passionate motivation to do whatever is possible to move far away from that fear.  Momentum occurs.

So, how do you find what your why is.  Similarly to writing your goals, simply list your biggest goal.  Once listed ask yourself, what will that do for you?  Write the answer down and ask yourself why that is important to you?  Now that you have your answer, ask your self, “and why is that important”?  Really dig deep and confront the reason.  Confront your why.  How does your response make you feel?  Chances are, if your answer is emotionalized, you have found your real why.  Your answer or your real why, may be your biggest fear. 

Apa yang saya dapet pas jadi mentor ini ? jawabannya banyak..

1. Lebih bisa menambah wawasan dan semangat

Ya, karena otomatis saya akan menambah referensi untuk menyampaikan materi. Sekarang ini materinya tentang realitas bangsa, tanggung jawab, peran,fungsi,posisi mahasiswa. Jadi sy juga harus cukup memahaminya dan menghayatinya. Saya lebih ngerasa ternyata bangsa ini bener-bener lagi butuh orang-orang yang punya moral tinggi, siap berkorban, peduli ama rakyat. Saya jadi semangat tuk bs berkontribusi bwt Indonesia tercinta.

2. Belajar menyampaikan materi dg baik

Ini jadi pengalaman bagi sy, supaya bisa menyampaikan materi dg cara yang tepat sehingga si penerima pesan (Maba) bisa paham materinya. Istilahnya sy belajar berkomunikasi dg baik.

3. Tau rasanya jadi seorang pemberi materi

Saya belajar untuk bisa memperhatikan orang lain yang sedang berbicara. Saya tau rasanya klo ga diperhatiin, emang ga enak. Sy jd inget klo dosen sedang menjelaskan, sy jd bisa ngerasain gmn dosen merasakan ga enaknya, tapi mereka kadang tidak memperlihatkan kekesalannya di hadapan kita. Mereka tetep menjelaskan demi kita. Saya bertekad untuk berusaha memeprhatikan dosen di kelas.. kita harus menghargainya..

4. Belajar akrab dengan adik mentornya

Di sini saya berusaha belajar mengenal karakter2 adik mentor, apa kesukaannya, sehingga saya bisa akrab dengannya. Mencoba untuk menjadi kaka yang baik.

Ya itulah kira-kira manfaat yang bisa saya rasain ketika jadi mentor INKM kemarin. Selain itu saya dapat saran n kritik dari mereka dan itu semua jadi pembelajaran yang sangat berarti bagi saya pribadi tuk menjadi lebih baik kedepannya.

Alhamdulillahi rabbil ‘alamin…