Mentoring – Is it for you?

Now that you’ve had a chance to explore my writings and overall message, you can consider what you may specifically want or need in order to move forward in the areas of your life that challenge you beyond your present life skills and confidence levels.  You may just be interested and want to learn and grow.

One of the things you can do is join me in heart to heart conversations that will benefit your life now and in the future.  We can focus together in a spirit of mutual respect and compassion and find practical and ­­­satisfying ways to support whatever transformation is needed to help your life work better.  Even though you are the only one who can change your life, exploring that process in a non-judgmental and positive environment with some additional education and support can be invaluable.

Some examples of things we can explore together are:

  • Sorting things out in your life that are especially meaningful to you while developing clarity that can last;
  • Learning new skills: self-awareness, social awareness, communication and emotional self-reliance;
  • Finding effective possibilities regarding healing relationships, creative expression and other topics;
  • Reducing stress, letting go of grudges, taking your power back in the face of others and more.

You can broaden your perspectives; expand the understanding of your mind and emotional patterns and learn more effective ways to apply yourself in your present life.  In a richly supported environment, anything is possible.  Dare to dream!

Thoughtful Consideration – If you are considering setting an appointment with me for a mentoring session or a series of sessions, please read carefully the rest of this post and then think things through.  Starting to work with a mentor to bring more fulfillment to your life is a significant gift to give yourself.

Being considerate to your own precious life is the hallmark of self-healing and empowerment.  Only you know if you are ready for a new experience.  And, of course on the practical side of things, only you know the reality of your own finances and what you can afford.  When you do this type of work, grounded self-respect as well as the path to it, becomes the ‘bright star’ in your sky. 

If you have not worked with a mentor before, please know that it is a great opportunity to learn and grow in ways you may not have imagined.  Sincerity goes a long way in bringing forth the best from within…and it is one of the most valuable assets a person can bring to sessions.

If you have the inclination to be a bit nervous about approaching this type experience, you can instead just think of this as a positive possibility…a forward moving experience that is sure to be a nice surprise.  You can open to ‘something fresh and new’ for yourself, sparking your curiosity and sense of adventure that can allow a special kind of uplift in your life. 

Building Emotional Maturity Skills – So much of life is focused on external things and other people.  Sometimes one must turn around and lovingly face oneself and learn about what is possible to heal and ‘mature’ the rest of the way.  Emotional maturity is a major part of finding balance and satisfaction in life.  When a person goes all the way into this, there is no limit to the potential for inner sustainable happiness and creativity galore.  If you felt like you’d like to use your life force to give effective service to others, emotional development becomes imperative.  Since we often cannot find many models in life for this mature condition, learning in a supportive environment can be enormously beneficial.  

Please ‘Do Something’ – There is always a way to learn and grow and I encourage you to experiment and find a way that works best for you.  So, even though I am inviting you to consider this type of work with me as a mentor, I also encourage you to ‘do something’, whatever it will be, to support the forward moving needs you have ahead of you in your life.  I respect you and send you my best wishes, whether you work with me or not.  No matter what the issues that you face in your life right now, there will be a way for you to help yourself.  Never give up.  You are worth whatever it takes.

Remember to Subscribe – This free blog site, that will supply ongoing material I’ve written or recorded, is my contribution to all human beings for the sake of healing and fulfillment of the heart.  If you would like to be kept up to date with fresh material posted and other services offered, remember to SUBSCRIBE.  The subscribe button is located in the footer on every page…and will lead you to the form.  I respect your privacy and will NEVER share your personal information.

A little more about my experience and offerings – I’ve had 29 years of experience teaching in groups and doing individual mentoring with people of many ages, occupations, locations and life experiences.  It has been a great privilege to have the opportunity in this life to meet and know so many wonderful people around the country and I am grateful to be able to use my experience, spiritual content and heart to make a positive contribution to any genuine and responsible person that comes my way.  Even though I am still working with my ongoing private clients, I now continue in new ways by offering additional mentoring for those who would like to discover something deeper in themselves, learn and are ready to do their own work.  I am moved to support this expansion of sincere love and human development.  If enough people reach out to me for this kind of work, I could accommodate the numbers by expanding to do small group workshops through online resources.  I’m also considering working privately on Skype with couples or families who want to improve their communication skills and mutual understanding.  All visits on Skype will be completely confidential.  Whatever makes sense and is effective, I’ll consider doing it. 

The Mentor/Mentee Relationship – This work is a very special experience for both the mentee and mentor.  Having the company of a wise mentor is an ancient tradition across all cultures within the human experience.  The practice of receiving mentoring is still revered and respected world round as a common choice.  Through the years I’ve been surprised to discover how few people have had competent help and guidance come their way regarding self-understanding and practical application of mature skills regarding living in this world.  I consider the privilege of offering this service a great honor and I continue to learn about how people can best be served, right in the area where they need it.  This is not therapy…but an active, co-creative skill building process.

An interactive class, with real discussion and learning the ins and outs of the skill and the reason for learning it explained in detail.  Whatever is necessary to understand what to do and how to approach it in an effective way, is what we will do together. 

The Collective Consciousness is affected by this work – When engaging in this most personal process in an open and sincere way, expanded creativity and a substantial uplift is experienced by both people.  In addition to the personal learning benefits, the positive energy that is released in abundance as a result of sincere people coming together in this special way, expands energetically into the collective consciousness. 

Positive feelings that are experienced with the human learning and growth experience is ‘contagious’ in the earth’s atmosphere.  It is a plus/plus experience.  When even a few people come together in sincerity for the sake of learning and service, the benefits radiate like the Sun’s rays.  The energy expands and circulates.  The earth’s atmosphere circulates continuously around the whole globe…so does the mental emotional atmosphere.  When we come together in this positive forward moving way, we are contributing to ALL.

Optimism and Hopefulness – We engage in this experience for the purpose of cultivating:

  • Emotional self-confidence;
  • Inquiry/Discovery skills for self-exploration; 
  • Development of heightened Self-awareness;
  • Skills for sorting through and learning clear-minded decision-making processes;
  • Education about various aspects of regular life skills;
  • A deeper inner experience of Soul and Self.

When you and I come towards each other to have our talks, I will show up with all warmth and one pointed attention to be with you.  Together, we create a non-judgmental and emotionally safe environment.  You will get the most out of the experience when you come with the best of you.  You can do this even in the midst of experiencing personal challenges.  Everyone has inside of them some optimism and hopefulness.  No matter how you go about seeking assistance, your heart is wise and can lead you to see new ways for your life to work.

 You are already Wonderful! – The most important consideration when working with a mentor is to recognize that the purpose would be to help you fortify and enhance your already wonderful Self.  With your already developed sensitivity and intelligence, you will process and utilize everything we talk about in your own way.  You are unique and will empower yourself best by being true to your values, your heart and what is most meaningful to you in your life.  In these sessions, I will not attempt or be willing to make decisions for your life, but will seek to explore with you the pluses and minuses of your specific focus, as well as assist in helping you experience broader perspectives than the ones you might have now.  

Forethought and thorough consideration of the circumstances and possible outcomes, is a meaningful part of decision-making.  When you make your decisions or start a new adventure or phase of life, there is a great possibility that you will go into it with more confidence and clarity after we speak together. Clarity is a valued state of mind.  If you are drawn to work on this skill, we can explore how you can help yourself expand in this area.

Wondering about expectations?  It makes so much sense to expect a great learning experience.  We will NOT be looking for you to ‘perform better’ but to ‘feel better’, more settled and grounded.  These learning conditions have a greater potential for supporting ‘lasting self-support’.  Trying to perform the ‘right way’ so that your life will work, can only be a functional approach for a short period of time and then it falls over.  So much stress is experienced when ‘performing’ instead of being genuine and tapping into well-developed confidence.  If you aren’t sure about the difference between these topics within your life experience, we can explore and help you get more in touch with yourself so you will know.  Certainly, developing more effective self-confidence skills will be a core intention of any work we would do together.  When you open to the experience, your potential can rise and ‘bloom’ like a beautiful garden.

The ‘exploration adventure’ will always go at the pace and depth that is natural for you.  Sometimes, less can be more.  Often you can find your own clarity more easily with some support from a well-seasoned and experienced person who has special skills and supportive friendly environment to offer you. And most importantly the process of learning needs to be without any pressure or expectation to accomplish a certain thing.  Removing pressure and unreasonable expectations from an experience such as this can allow for something real and creative to happen on your behalf that can be very reassuring and surprising.

You can arrange for a one-time mentoring session to focus on a specific area of your life.  Then, if it is compatible with your finances, time and sense of purpose and forward motion, we can arrange for a longer series of sessions to go deeper into the various aspects of your life.  When we are together, we can explore that possibility and decide together based on what feels right.

 Considerations before deciding to make an extended ‘set of appointments’ for deeper work:

1. Honesty– This kind of in-depth work requires that you are committed to be as honest with yourself as is presently possible…not holding back about what is happening with your mind and emotions, your life experiences as well as your most cherished aspirations.  Being open and honest in session discussions benefits you and allows you to set free the trapped energetics in your mind and life.  

Even though telling stories from your life are often the way that people convey what they feel and what they want, I find that it is best to talk directly and not through stories unless absolutely necessary for mutual clarity and understanding.  Going to the ‘bottom line’ of what you mean right up front helps boost the quality of our time together.  It saves effort and energy expenditure for both people and allows us to get to the heart of the matter more simply and smoothly.  Please take your time to feel your way to the decision of working with me before making the appointment.  You will get much more out of your time spent and your money spent.

2.  Forgiveness– If through the process of our work together, you discover that you are holding something against yourself that causes self-criticism, self-doubt and an emotional dependency on others, please consider committing to the process of letting these things go.  Sometimes, it takes time to find that forgiveness once you begin.  Sincerely deciding and beginning is what is important…the rest comes along with time.  No pressure, just certainty.  Do you see?

What does Forgiveness Mean? – In my perspective and experience, forgiving means letting go of holding something against yourself and/or another person.  Each person is responsible for their own choices in word and deed and will face the consequences of those choices in time.  If you feel remorse for your words or actions, you can use that remorse as if it were fuel for your new action.  You can gather yourself up and re-direct your energy…either fixing the results of your actions, if possible, or for learning the skills to live differently in those areas in the future.  You can only do the best you can with whatever it is.  When you do your best to make things right again and the other person won’t forgive you, at least you put your sincere heart into the attempt.  There is a certain freedom in this and relief. 

Not holding your own deeds against yourself allows you to discover new ways to live that will prevent you from doing the same things again in the future.  It is up to you to apply yourself to the learning process.  Accountability and humility go a long way in the healing process.  You need yourself, your own love and support, more than you need the other person to forgive you.  People ‘forgive’ to benefit themselves, not the other person.  If someone forgives you, but you don’t forgive yourself, you know what that brings.  As you go into this with a contemplative spirit, you’ll see what I mean.

Freed from Stress and Burden – You may have something to heal inside yourself.  You might find that letting go of holding grudges against people you feel have wronged you, allows you to have the space and energy to begin to move forward and create a new life in peace and harmony with yourself and the world.

Clear-mindedness is one of the greatest benefits that comes from letting go of: grudges; the unintentional and/or fabricated projections about life’s events; and of course, that common theme: blame towards others.

When you forgive in this way, it is you who are freed from distress and burden.  Once you decide to aim in that direction, no matter how long the natural process lasts, you will slowly build on the experience of feeling the energy and enthusiasm for new perspectives and activities…a fresh new life.

Forgiveness doesn’t mean that you let someone else or yourself off the hook for what has been said and done and the effects it all had.  When you let go of a grudge held against ‘other’, you free yourself from your ties with their words and deeds and, for all practical purposes, give the responsibility back to that person to deal with it directly.  The power of ‘blame’ makes everyone unhappy.  No one involved in this can truly move on until the energy network is released from pressure. 

If it is your own words and deeds that you will stop holding against yourself, you will find your long lost energy and strength returning to you. Then, you can competently fix, address or put into better perspective all the things of the past that haunt you.  When you truly show up to be your own dear friend, there is no limit to what can happen in your life to lift your spirits and soothe your Soul.  Creativity can unfold in magnificent ways from there.

Love and Respect for All People – I have deep respect for people of all races, religions and cultural affiliations and I experience the human race as one family on this planet of ours.  I wish for all people, peace and harmony in co-habiting the planet.  When you also have this spirit, we have a great opportunity for getting along well.

Important Note:  These sessions are not a substitute for Mental Healthcare.  Because of the special nature of my work, I do not work with severe depression disorders or severe anxiety disorders or people in deep stages of recovering from alcohol addiction, drug addiction and eating disorders.  It is not my field of specialty and I am NOT a licensed therapist. 

It is of course, up to you to know whether you have a severe mental health condition.  However, if after we get started, I assess that the present situation is out of my ‘wheel house’, I will kindly and warmly talk about it with you.  I want you to get the best possible care and support for whatever is happening in this phase of your life. 

How to Start – The Steps

  • Pre-pay with Pay Pal
  • Sign up to use Skype
  • Write to me for scheduling
  • Prepare yourself for a great experience

Pre-Pay before scheduling – All sessions will be pre-paid before confirming a scheduled appointment.  If, for whatever reason you do not show up or cancel after the ’48-hour notification period’, I will not be able to refund your money. 

Pay Pal has international currency arrangements and the fees are taken out of your payment by them.  You will figure out how much of your currency you will need to pay that will equal delivering my expressed fee for the session.  When you go to the PAY NOW button (at the bottom of this article), it will lead you through the process smoothly.  You may also use Zelle (in U.S. only) – bank to bank cash transfer using my website email address for payment identification.  I’ve placed it at the bottom of this post.

Skype for Sessions – At least initially, I will use Audio Only for sessions and I am open to working with people from any country as long as they have fluent skills in English.  Unfortunately, I do not have fluent skills in another language.  I will consider using the Video aspect of Skype if we both feel comfortable and our equipment will function properly for this type of discussion environment.  If you prefer video calls, please let me know when we converse through email to arrange things.

Scheduling Session – We can communicate by email to find a mutually agreeable time to have our session.

Prepare for the Session – It will benefit your experience greatly when you prepare yourself for the conversation with some relaxation time and thoughtfulness.  Writing things down to discuss with me ahead of time will help you focus once you are with me.  This way we have the best possibility for a wonderful and meaningful experience together.  If you would like to take notes during our session, please feel free to do so.  I’m happy to pause briefly while you write, so we can stay in sync with our conversation.

It is always helpful for everyone to have drinking water handy.  And then also, sometimes either person needs to use the bathroom during our time, so please feel comfortable interrupt our conversation to tell me about this need, and I will also.  We want our time together to be comfortable throughout the time, for all.

Prompt and Ready – I will reserve the time just for you and will be ready to speak with you as promised.  Please be prompt and come ready for our conversation.

Technical Difficulties – There are occasions where the Skype technology is dragging in connect-ability.  Please plan ahead for a few minutes of patience in case there is a slight delay or need to re-connect the call once or twice.

You can test call with friend/family member to be sure it works well on your end.  Be sure to check the audio quality as well.  Skype has an audio test on the page.

Cancellations and Refunds – If you must cancel after paying and scheduling, notification needs to happen at least 48 hours or more before appoint time in order for me to refund your money.  If you do not notify me within this time frame or do not show up for the appointment, your pre-payment will be forfeited. 

As long as your cancellation is within the stated amount of time of the set appointment, you can also re-schedule with me and I will apply the pre-payment to your new appointment time.  Also, I am approachable under special circumstances.  For any reason, I need to cancel within 48 hours of our session time, I will refund your money or offer to reschedule, whichever you would prefer.

What If? – In my life and work, I like to be practical.  ‘Hope for the best, plan for the worst.’  Just by the nature of working together online sometimes things don’t work out as hoped.  If we discover an obvious incompatibility within the first 20 minutes of the first session, I will gladly refund your money.  Even though it is very unusual for this to happen, it is best to have a plan in place just in case it does.  We can assess this respectfully and decide together.  Let’s aim for harmony and positive outcome!

Delighted to be of Service to You – Having said all that stuff that seems necessary under these ‘online’ circumstances, I want you to know that I am delighted to be of service to you and look very much forward to connecting with you for a wonderful experience.

Preparing for Our 1st Appointment – When you write to me to set up appointment, please give me some personal information about you (whatever you feel is fitting) and let me know what area(s) you would like to explore with me.  Also, that would be a good time to ask any questions about the payment and refund policy so we start out clear with each other about that.

Please consider the meaningfulness of working with a mentor.  You can benefit enormously from these experiences.  Coming to clarity and surety in yourself about various aspects of life can help you reach through to new phases of your life with bright enthusiasm and confidence.  Everyone needs support sometimes.  It can be a good thing to open and receive the help.

I will most likely want to start with a brief ‘hello’ to welcome each other.  Then I will want you to express to me the things that you are wanting to discuss and explore.  I’ll probably ask you clarifying questions throughout our time together so that I can assist you more specifically.  I do not judge people about their circumstances and feelings as they are the things of human life for everyone, me included.  I have a place in my heart to accept the reality of each person and decide accordingly how I can be of assistance.  I will walk with you through the discussion and help you to work with me and to develop our style of doing things together.  No need to be nervous.  You will be coming into a ‘safe harbor’…and beyond that, trust builds gently over time.

Feedback – I’d love to hear from you with questions if you have them.

Looking forward to hearing from you if you are inspired to take this step.  And also, if you would like to give feedback about anything on the site, please comment below any article or write me an email through the Contact section or directly to my email address listed at the bottom of this post.  I’d love to hear from you about how you are doing…and how I might inspire you.

You can be assured of being heard, experiencing my warmth and of an adventure in self-discovery, self-understanding and skill building assistance.

Warm welcome to you,

Hope