Mentorship is a hot topic these days, and rightfully so. Having a mentor helps in all facets of your life both professionally and personally.  

But why is mentorship so valuable? First, the experience you gain in mentorship is very valuable. Having someone who has been in that situation before, with the ability to reflect as a third party, is an incredibly powerful opinion to have on your side. It helps you understand the implications of your decisions on a larger scale.

But, not only do mentors provide big picture advice, they are extremely effective working in specifics and specialties. In my experience in entrepreneurship, I have received incredible advice from mentors who provided direction in otherwise aimless situations. Shoutout to my brother and mentor, Brian Rashid, for that guidance!

So, spend some time this week really thinking about a few people that you want to work closer with as a mentor. 

Lets talk about not feeling bad for yourself, and I am going to use my story a bit to explain. I am obviously very disappointed with my GRE score, which is fine because I put a lot of hard work into it and I wanted to be better. Although I still feel bummed, I am doing a few things that is helping me move past it in a productive way.

First, ironically, I felt bad for myself.  But, I only gave myself a 10 minute window. I took the time to get all of the excuses and complaints out of my system so I could start doing something more actionable. Next, I wrote down my thoughts and reflected on my preparation, mental state, and impressions about my performance. I know this will be helpful to have in the future and it helped me realize some areas for improvement.  Next, I refocused my attention. I still have an application to complete, and having that task helped me realize that there is nothing else I can do about my score for now. Also, if I want to make up for it, I still have a way to do that in my application. After getting some quality work done, I went for a run to squeeze the remaining emotion I had left in me and also push my body. Reaching my physical goal for the day gave me a small win that is helping me build my momentum back up. Lastly, once I was in a more objective state, I called up a good friend of mine, whose opinion I really respect, and picked apart the takeaways from my experience for the day.

All in all, I am very happy with how I responded to the unfortunate news. The thesis is feeling bad for yourself is never going to help. 

The quote, “the best view comes after the hardest climb”, is something that fits perfectly into my life right now.

Recently, I took the GRE to improve my application for Business School. However, the story isn’t that simple. I spent 6 months studying for the GRE about a year ago, took it 3 times, and still didn’t end up with a score competitive enough for the schools I want to go to. So, I took some time off, refocused, and hit it again for the last 2 months to finally get my score where it needs to be. That, mixed in with enrolling and removing myself from different schools, has made for quite an emotional journey.

I am confident that the best view will come after this hardest climb that I have been enduring for over a year. I am a firm believer in having faith in the process, and I don’t see this quote as conflicting with that. I see the view at the end as a way of reflecting on the journey and appreciating it even more. When presented with challenges, you should know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. All of the time you spend alone working hard at your office will lead you to the end product you wanted.  How is that for positive thinking?

9/11 was a horrible tragedy for so many, but also really encouraging to remember the incredible acts of bravery and effort put in so many that day. With mixed feelings it helped me reflect on the importance of perspective.

I'm going to talk a bit about Respecting History.  he lives, freedoms, and opportunities we have are all because other people sacrificed to make it that way. History has an interesting way of reminding you of the bigger picture and your place in the world.

The first step to respecting history is to learn it . This can be through documentaries, books, streaming interviews, or however you prefer to consume content. Becoming informed on the different phases that shaped our world is a huge step in appreciating the life that you have.

Not only is it important to respect history in a classic sense, but it is also important in a familiar sense. Knowing your family history helps you understand the reasons why certain family members are the way they are, which will help you immensely when building relationships and connecting with them. The best way to learn about your family history is to just ask.

All in all, understanding and appreciating history adds a scope and perspective to your life that is really humbling. Take a moment today to appreciate the things that had to happen to get you to where you are today.

I want to share something I did that I feel like has truly impacted my life. I changed my laptop password to a positive affirmation.  I thought about a few things that are important to me that I thought would be cool to be reminded of every day, and took 30 seconds to change my password. 

I don’t want to give away my password, but it does involve gratitude, and reflecting on the great and positive things I have in my life. Things like being happy, being healthy, and being appreciative.

By changing my password, I mentally recite this positive affirmation throughout my day and am often affected because of it. It’s a quick reminder to stay grounded when the rest of my life is crazy. What I can’t prove but believe to be true, is the subconscious influence the affirmation has on my psyche. Repetition is key for anything, and I believe that repeating the same expression 10 or more times a day has to affect the way my brain operates. Although written repetition would be a better mechanism for instilling a new habit, this technique definitely serves its purpose, and it is so easy to incorporate. You can change your laptop password, your phone password, or even change your homescreen password to something that leaves a positive impression every time you interact with it.  

So, what are you waiting for. Take a few minutes right now to think about what is really important to you, and how you can best phrase it. Then, take an easy 30 seconds to be on your device and officially change your password, and let the affirmation work for you! I’m excited to hear your results! Have a happy, healthy, and appreciative day.

It's simple. Don’t take shortcuts. Put in the work to go about doing things the right way. I have three different reasons why.

First, is mentality. Our actions reflect strongly in our mentality. This is because of a psychological concept called “cognitive dissonance”, where our brains reject things that don’t align. When you take a shortcut, you are choosing to not face the challenge for all it’s worth. The small decision to take a shortcut will influence your threshold for will power the next time you are preparing you to be successful in the future.

The second one is about quality. Taking shortcuts means that you are deliberately skipping a step or process, which was likely incorporated in the first place because it ensures quality.  Don’t make that mistake, and never compromise quality.

Lastly, taking short cuts sometimes actually makes us lost. This can be counterproductive to the time we were trying to save by taking short cuts because it takes more time to get back on track. It’s kind of silly if you think about it.

Be extra cognizant of taking actions with intentionality and deliberate steps, and not to take any short cuts.

“worrying means you suffer twice”.  

I had mixed feelings initially about the quote because the word “suffer” has such a strong negative connotation, but then I thought deeper about it, and realized that it is intentionally strong to bring attention to the alternative.  The alternative being suffering once.  

There is a lot that happens to us, a lot of it is out of our control, that affects the quality and fluidity of our life.  But why let it upset you twice?  Worrying is proven to increase sympathetic nervous system activation and induce a stronger stress response, which in turn raises your blood pressure, increases muscle tension, and occupies your mind. This can lead to a cycle of sleep deprivation, cognitive difficulties, and compromised health.

Fortunately for us, there is an easy solution to limit worrying. The solution is to choose positivity.  By seeing the better side of stressful situations, you can pay attention to the factors that don’t occupy your mind, eliminating the negative and maladaptive cascade that follows.  At the very least, if you can’t find a silver lining to a situation, try to crack a smile. The simple act will bring physiological benefits that counteract the stress!