The next grateful challenge

Greetings on a Friday!  TGIF.
I've made a decision about the next stage of the gratefulness challenge.  I'm going to stick with it, but change the rules a bit.  I'm going to commit to at least one thing that I'm grateful for daily.  I'm going to do my best not to do repeats, but no promises.  If I'm really moved by something that is a "double-up," you may see something more than once.  I'm not sure about the timeframe.  We'll see how it goes.

Today, I'm grateful for mentors.  I had the opportunity this morning to join the "Mentoring Partnership of Long Island's" for a portion of their 2012 "Mentoring Matters" conference.  It was really incredible.  My boss, Linda Armyn, who is on their board kicked off the breakfast with an inspiring talk including the role that her father played as a mentor and how his mentees still remember him and his impact many years later.  The Executive Director, Jean Cohen and the National President/CEO of MENTOR both spoke with such enthusiasm and passion about the difference that mentors can play and the stark realities that can face young people who do not have the support that they need.  Finally, Keith Davis and Devan Wyman from the NFL lead an incredibly engaging session with a group of young people.  They were dynamic speakers and had such a wonderfully positive message.  It was exciting to see the kids so engaged.  It was clear what a difference these folks are making.  It was a magnificent way to start my Friday.

It also made me think about the many mentors that I've had and what a difference they've made to me.  I've been extremely lucky to have a lot of mentors at different stages in my life and they have all shaped who I am today.  I can't possibly write about all of my mentors here, so this is not intended to be a full list, but there were a few that were on my mind today:

Bill Clarke: He was my science teacher in middle school. My seventh grade year was extremely difficult for me and he was kind and generous with his time.  Knowing that he was there for me and would be an ear when I needed it really helped me to get through many days that very challenging year.  I'm not sure what I would have done without him.

Pat Pastula:  He was my cross country and track coach.  If you know me, you know how much I love to run.  My love of running started with Mr. Pastula.  He taught the little things like how to pace myself, how to eat well, how to condition and train.  More than anything he taught me about commitment.  He taught me that no matter what the circumstance, no matter how uncomfortable, you can always run and that being that diligent pays off.  There were days when I really didn't understand why we would be outside running. Today there are very few days that I would understand why I wouldn't be outside running.  He gave me a very big gift in introducing me to one of my life's passions.

Kathy Elliott:  She hired me at BestSource.  She taught me so much about marketing and leadership.  More than anything she helped me to develop my passion for credit unions and our industry.  She shared a lot about how she grew her career and helped me to get my start.

John Normandeau:  He is the CEO at BestSource.  He believed in me and my talents.  He saw things in me that I didn't even see and pushed me to look deeper until I saw them and acted on them.  He taught me about the importance of knowing your strengths and weaknesses and how really great leaders not only know themselves well, but surround themselves with people that compliment them.  He also taught me how important humor can be even in really tough situations.

Mike Neill:  Mike is such an incredible mentor.  He has taught me nearly everything I know about sales & service culture and credit unions.  He is always honest with me and tells me like it is even when it is hard to hear.  He is extremely loyal and always gives me a chance to get better and improve myself.  He is super funny and has made me laugh even when I felt like crying.  He taught me so much about how to be an effective speaker and an effective leader. He showed me how important modeling is.  He also taught me how critical it is to give back consistently.  I feel very lucky to have him in my life.

My mom:  I know it might seem like something that everyone says, but my mom has been the biggest mentor in my life.  She is the epitome of what people mean when they say mentor.   She has provided me with unending support in every situation I've encountered.  She loves me no matter what I do.  She is here for me and will answer my call whether it's 5 AM or 5 PM.  She'll talk to me whether it's the first time we've talked in a day or the fifth.  She has helped me to make decisions and has known when she needed to step in a play a larger role and when to give me the space that I needed to decide on my own.  She taught me to play the violin.  She taught me to read. She taught me to write.  She taught me how to treat other people.  She taught me what family is all about.  She taught me what it means to be a working mom and how important a career can be for a woman.  She's given me so many gifts, it's hard to articulate them all.

I was reminded today about how crucial mentors are.  It was fun today to think about some of my mentors and their impact on me.  Thank you to all of my mentors.  I'm looking forward to finding ways to be a mentor in the future.  I've always known how important it was, but today was a good reminder about how much they are needed.