Stop and Go Home

By Motivational Speaker Gregory Scott Reid

How many of us are in our present circumstances based on things we were taught as children? Some of those things might have been ingrained into our mind for a reason, such as safety. But, now that we're adults, are any of the old rules subconsciously holding us back?

I know a woman who had a little girl named Heather, a blonde haired, blue eyed exuberant child who pushed her limits. Now, a mother's job is to protect her daughter from injury and danger. Boundaries were set, as they should be. When Heather turned five, she wanted to ride her bike out of the driveway. They lived in a small subdivision with no sidewalks, and mom wanted to be able to see her at all times. She told her she could go as far as the stop sign, which was two houses away. The rule was when Heather saw the stop sign, she would "Stop and Go Home".

The rule worked great; Heather always turned around at the stop sign and came back home. About a year later, they were headed on a trip - packed the suitcases, buckled the kids in, and took off. An hour into their travels, they stopped at an intersection. As they were waiting for their turn to go, Heather said, "Oh no! Now we gotta go home". She'd seen the stop sign, and it had been ingrained into her head that it really meant "STOP and go home"!

Now, the word Stop means do not go progress - do not move forward - immediately discontinue the action at hand. When we were children, "stops" were given to us for our safety and well being. But, now that we're grown up, how many of us still use "stops" as a safety net? What devices that were used to keep us safely within our boundaries are we hanging on to that prevents us from advancing?

How often do people begin to get close to realizing their dreams, to changing their lives, and they hit a "stop sign"? Maybe they "stop" because there isn't enough money to take the next step, or they are afraid to leave the certain safety and security of their current job to change careers - the fear of the unknown. What will happen when you cross the boundaries that have been ingrained into your thinking?

When you hit a stop, you have two choices:

One: Stop, do not move forward, do not pass go. Stay with the familiar and remain at status quo.

Two: Find that little nudge, that hand in the small of your back, which gently pushes you to take the first step beyond your present boundaries, for with each step you take, you are that much closer to achieving your goals and the realizing your dreams.

Try to look at all the stop signs, and obstacles in your life as positives. They are opportunities to push your limits, and find a way to move forward. They are momentary pauses on the path to success!

Keep movin', and keep smilin'..


Gregory Scott Reid, #1 best selling author The Millionaire Mentor, Positive Impact, and co-author Wake up…Live the life you Love http://www.motivational-speaker-gregory-scott-reid.com

Out of the Box Thinking: Chicago Conference Focuses on Volunteer-based Mentoring, Tutoring programs

On May 25 and 26, 2006, the Tutor/Mentor Connection (T/MC) and the Children and Family Justice Center at Northwestern University's School of Law will co-host a Tutor/Mentor Leadership and Networking Conference. The aim of the conference is to draw greater public attention to volunteer-based tutor/mentor programs, and to put help existing programs get the ideas, volunteers and dollars needed to help at-risk youth stay in school and move to jobs and careers.

Chicago, IL (PRWEB) April 14, 2006 -- While most Americans are using the Internet for games, music, shopping and informal chat, a small Chicago nonprofit is using it for building a network of private and public sector organizations aimed at ending poverty by mentoring kids to careers.

On May 25 and 26, 2006, the Tutor/Mentor Connection (T/MC) and the Children and Family Justice Center at Northwestern University's School of Law will co-host a Tutor/Mentor Leadership and Networking Conference. The aim of the conference is to draw greater public attention to volunteer-based tutor/mentor programs, and to put help existing programs get the ideas, volunteers and dollars needed to help at-risk youth stay in school and move to jobs and careers. This will be the 25th T/MC Conference held in Chicago since May 1994.

What's revolutionary about this event, is that in early May and early June, the T/MC will also host a series of on-line forums, connecting leaders and supporters of volunteer-based programs throughout the USA with each other, and with ideas each program can use to be more effective and successful in connecting volunteers with kids who need extra help.

The T/MC and many of the volunteer based tutor/mentor programs that participate in the Conferences, focus their services on youth living in extreme poverty. "We know that connecting volunteers and youth in long-term mentoring and in a variety of learning and enrichment activities can have a profound affect, not only on the youth, but on the adult volunteer. " reports Daniel F. Bassill, president of the Tutor/Mentor Connection and a 30 year leader of a Cabrini-Green based tutor/mentor program.

The conference focuses on the strategies needed to build and sustain effective, long-term volunteer-based programs, including uses of the Internet for learning, networking, collaboration and capacity building. At Bassill's http://tutormentor.blogspot.com blog, he demonstrates how individuals can by-pass the traditional media to post advocacy and education on-line where the world can read it. "We aim to help others in Chicago and in other cities duplicate this," says Bassill, "as part of our own effort to create greater daily visibility of tutoring/mentoring."

Among the featured speakers in the May Conference will be Professor Robert Halpern, chair of the Research Council at the Erikson Institute, and Sylvia Puente, Director Metropolitan Chicago Initiative, Institute for Latino Studies, University of Notre Dame. Workshop presenters represent tutor/mentor organizations from Chicago, Indiana, Tennessee and California. Among the hosts for eConference forums will be MENTOR/The National Mentoring Partnership, UNiversity College of IUPUI and the National Mentoring Center at the Northwest Regional Education Laboratory..

Media, business, faith and community leaders are encouraged to attend the conference to learn more about volunteer-based tutor/mentoring, and to become partners in strategies that make quality programs available in more places where they are needed.

The Chicago conference will be held on May 25 and 26 at the Northwestern University School of Law, at 375 E. Chicago Avenue. The eConferences will begin on May 2nd. The full agenda and registration information can be found at http://www.tutormentorconference.bigstep.com. Participation in the Internet conference is FREE.

There is still time to register for the conference. Group Rates, Discounts and Scholarships are Available. Call 312-492-9614, or email email protected from spam bots to discuss your participation options.

HISTORY - The Tutor/Mentor Connection, formed in 1993, maintains a comprehensive database of Chicago area tutor/mentor programs, a web based resource library, and organizes events such as the conferences to connect tutor/mentor programs with each other, and with volunteers, donors, business partners and media.

Learn more at http://msg.uc.iupui.edu/TMC/html/index.php or call 312-492-9614. Read the Tutor/Mentor Blog at http://tutormentor.blogspot.com

Stupid Resume Tricks

Stupid R�sum� Tricks

While this article is geared toward those in the market for IT jobs, it was just too good not to share with my readers too. This is a good up-to-date look at trends recruiters are seeing. If you're in the market for a job, any kind of job, read this article and use the good advice here to improve your resume.