How to Ask Family for Money to Reach Your Goals

When I was trying to go back to school to get my Master's, I was in a rough place.

I was working 3 jobs and waking up at 3AM to study for the GRE. I had no idea when I was actually going to take the GRE….. because I couldn't afford it. I was exhausted, but still determined.

I just kept studying.

A close friend of mine asked me when I'd be taking the GRE because I had been studying for over two months. I responded ‘I have no idea, whenever I get the money’. Immediately, she pulled out her iPad and her credit card and said "Pick your date. I'll pay for it." #wow

After I took the exam and applied to school with a free voucher, I received an acceptance letter that said that in order to hold my spot, I'd need to come up with $1,000 in two weeks. #stressing

Needless to say….. I didn't have a dollar to my name.

I decided to call up friends and family and asked them for $50, $100 or whatever they could spare. I promised that I would pay them back as soon as I graduated and got a job.

Guess what? Within 48 hours, I had $1,000 to go back to school!

Related Content: How to Guarantee Grad School is Worth Your Time & Money

I graduated with a job making more than triple what I was making before. And now I was only working one job instead of three. #happydance I called Every. Single. Person. on my list so that I could pay them back...

... and every single one of them refused to take my money. #blessed

I graduated. I'm now living my dream. That was more than enough for them.

Asking people for money, can be scary and shameful, especially when you’ve always been able to take care of yourself. But here is what I did to make it a little easier:

I called my friends and family and personally asked them.

I drove to them to pick up the money.

I had already did 90% of the work.

I ONLY asked for what I needed to get to the next step.

I am more than happy to pay it forward where it makes sense and when it's truly genuine. If a close friend asks for a small contribution…… I'll be the first to whip out my card.

The people who did it for me, made the difference between me going into debt and eating the free leftover sandwiches from my receptionist job for dinner and me now being able to live my best life.

I'm more than happy to do the same for others.

Don’t be afraid to make the ask, and don’t forget to pay it forward.

Want To Start Planning Your Vision Board Party? 

1. Download the FREE vision board party planning checklist.

2. Craft your inspiring vision board workshop talk with our FREE High Impact Storytelling Journal Prompts. 

3. Plan, promote & host your first (or next) professional & profitable vision board workshop with our signature course, Sold Out Vision Board Parties.

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This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more info.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Cyrene is a fun and accomplished workshop facilitator, learning and development guru and Human Resources professional. Being at the helm of Thrive Lounge has been a long-time dream. Through vision board workshops she plans to accomplish two-way learning. Sharing her vast years of knowledge to motivate and encourage others; while simultaneously getting the reward of great energy, ideas and questions to ponder back from each group. A super win-win. Please join our Thrive Lounge community so you too can benefit!

How to Win at Peer to Peer Mentoring

Peer to peer mentoring can be a very rewarding experience that often leads to lifelong friendships and bonds. Great mentors have the ability to build relationships with people, ask uncomfortable questions and share their insecurities. They help people reach their goals in many different areas of life. Not-so-great mentors struggle to create an emotional bond with their mentee and their relationships can fizzle out pretty quick.

These tips will make sure you're a great mentor.

REACH OUT TO THEM PERIODICALLY

My goal was to use my experiences to help others move forward in their life, reach their goals and then reach for even bigger goals. It’s very easy to get bogged down with all the little things in life like work, school, errands, personal care, health, family, friends, vacation, religious obligations, and the list goes on.

It may seem like you don’t have time to be a mentor.

As an adult, one of my greatest learnings was to take time out for other people. Show them that you care about them by picking up the phone giving them a call. Ask them how their day was and take an interest in what's going on in their lives. Do the same for your mentee. Reaching out to them shows them that you are genuinely interested in their life and their success.

It opens the door of communication and invites them in.

Invite them out for lunch or coffee or happy hour. This gives the two of you time to connect personally and get to know each other a bit outside of a business or an educational setting. Simply picking up the phone to give your mentee a call or shooting them an email out of the blue will put a smile on their face and keep you connected as time goes on.

MAKE NOTE OF THEIR SPECIAL DAYS

Don't take the time that you have with your mentee for granted. Instead, when your mentee tells you that they're going to MIT for the summer internship (like my awesome mentee did #goalgetter) make a note of the date. When the time comes around, send them tips relevant to their new journey.

If they are starting a new job, make a note of the date so you can send them "new job" tips or share a story from your first day at work. Send them a congratulations or a ‘you got this’ text.

Make it your job to know when their birthday is and how old they'll be. If you're 30 and your mentee is 25, you can share stories with them from your mid-twenties. You can share the lessons you wish you knew at 25. You can help them better prepare for the new challenges ahead of them, whether it's business or personal.

KNOW WHAT THEIR GOALS ARE

As a mentor, you are utterly useless if you can't help your mentee move up in their life. If you make a conscious effort to understand your mentee's goals, you are in a much better position to help them actually achieve them. Encourage them. Keep them accountable. Check in on their progress. (side bonus: you’ll be more motivated to crush your own goals while you help other crush theirs).

Related Content: How to Set the Right Goals in All Areas of Your Life

Help them network in order to reach their goals. If they are in a different field as you, you can help them expand their network and learn new skills by introducing them to your network. If you are in the same field, you will be able to help them potentially land internships and jobs through your own connections.

USE THE GIFT OF FORESIGHT (OR AT LEAST TRY TO)

If your mentee is in school, make a note of when the mid-term and final exams are at their school. This way you will be able to send them inspirational confidence-boosting emails right before they start taking their tests. If your mentee is in an internship or job, help them prepare for evaluations, mid-year reviews or negotiations. Try to account for every stumbling block your mentee could encounter on their journey and make it your job to help them through it, using your experiences as a guide.

In order to be successful at using foresight, you need to really….listen. Sometimes we have so much experience to share, we forget to be good listeners. You won’t be able to know what they really need if you don’t listen to what their saying.

SHARE YOUR FAILURES WITH THEM

Though many people don't want to admit it, we have all failed at something at some time in our lives. On the bright side, those failures usually teach us life’s greatest lessons and allow us to grow incredibly for the better. We are given the gift of our struggles because once we get through them, we now have a roadmap that we can provide to other people in order to help them rise out of their biggest problems in life.

The greatest gift you can give your mentee is to share these stories. The most painful stories of your life have likely taught you more than all of the times you triumphed with minimal effort. These are the lessons that hold great value for your mentee. These are the stories that will propel them forward when they reach hard times.

GET A GOOD MENTOR

A great way to learn to BE a good mentor, is to HAVE a good mentor to learn from. Seek out someone you admire and ask if they’d be willing to mentor you. Ask someone who is 1 or 2 jobs above you to teach you their ways.

Being a mentor is one of the most rewarding ways to spend your time. Share your knowledge with others. It doesn't help anyone if you keep all that wonderful experience to yourself. :-) Your story is meant to be shared.

Want To Start Planning Your Vision Board Party? 

1. Download the FREE vision board party planning checklist.

2. Craft your inspiring vision board workshop talk with our FREE High Impact Storytelling Journal Prompts. 

3. Plan, promote & host your first (or next) professional & profitable vision board workshop with our signature course, Sold Out Vision Board Parties.

---

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more info.

---

About the author

Cyrene is a fun and accomplished workshop facilitator, learning and development guru and Human Resources professional. Being at the helm of Thrive Lounge has been a long-time dream. Through vision board workshops she plans to accomplish two-way learning. Sharing her vast years of knowledge to motivate and encourage others; while simultaneously getting the reward of great energy, ideas and questions to ponder back from each group. A super win-win. Please join our Thrive Lounge community so you too can benefit!

Are You Over-Planning? It's Time to Accomplish Your Goals.

Any well-executed project starts with a good plan.

Many people want to go back to school, start a business, or maybe even retire early. Spending time mapping out a solid plan will definitely help you reach all of those goals.

But what happens when you spend too much time planning?

Is It Possible To Overplan?

Yes! Definite Yes.

I have a friend who wants to some day own his own physical therapy clinic. He listens to podcasts about how to start a business, how to grow your own physical therapy company, and how to get clients. EVERYDAY, he visualizes his big goal and how he will make it happen.

He spends SO much of his time looking through programs, and analyzing the costs and benefits of each program. He is certain of what his passion is and has clear goals in mind.

There's just one problem……. He’s been researching “next steps” for 3 years.

He has spent more time planning out his future than he has actually acting on his plan to get there.

He doesn't have the credentials to be a licensed physical therapist. He hasn't gotten his doctorate (which you must have in order to be legit). He hasn't even started studying for his GRE (a test required to get into many of the best physical therapy doctorate programs).

But... I Want To Be SUPER Prepared To Succeed!

While planning is the first step of any successful project or goal, it can also be the part that many people fail.

It is easy to convince yourself that you’re making steps forward because you are planning towards your goal, but you also have to set time aside to actually make things happen.

Planning is nothing without execution.

Also, all the planning in the world won’t prepare you for everything you encounter once you actually get started. (Just ask any women who’s been pregnant. Birthing plan? Ha!)

Most of the time, you have to get started on the path towards your goal and just start learning as you go.

How Do You Know It’s Time To Start?

YOU’RE RESEARCHING THE SAME THING OVER AND OVER

How many times do you have to google “how to get started” before you get started? If you’ve googled this a few times, it may be time to quit researching and start doing.

YOU KNOW SO MUCH ABOUT A SUBJECT YOU CAN EXPLAIN IT TO SOMEONE ELSE

Have you ever met someone who knows literally everything about real estate but they’ve never bought their first home? If you are that person, than you need to start walking the walk. Consistent action will get you so much further than endless planning.

YOU CLEARLY KNOW THE FIRST STEP

All you really need in order to start….. is the first step. If you’re writing a book, pick up a pen. If you’re going back to school for your Master’s, apply to a program. If you want to get a new job, revamp that resume! If you want to start eating healthier, make a meal plan for the week. If you want to start working out, block off some time on your calendar to take a class.

Once you know what the first step on the path is to reach your goal, you have enough information to take a tiny step. Steps will soon turn into miles.

YOU’VE MOVED YOUR END DATE MORE THAN ONCE

Next year, I’m really going to start that meal plan. Like, for real this time.

The only way to really fail is not to even start. Take a chance on yourself and start that big goal. Your dreams are in good hands….. the best hands even - yours.

xoxo

Want To Start Planning Your Vision Board Party? 

1. Download the FREE vision board party planning checklist.

2. Craft your inspiring vision board workshop talk with our FREE High Impact Storytelling Journal Prompts. 

3. Plan, promote & host your first (or next) professional & profitable vision board workshop with our signature course, Sold Out Vision Board Parties.

---

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more info.

---

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Cyrene is a fun and accomplished workshop facilitator, learning and development guru and Human Resources professional. Being at the helm of Thrive Lounge has been a long-time dream. Through vision board workshops she plans to accomplish two-way learning. Sharing her vast years of knowledge to motivate and encourage others; while simultaneously getting the reward of great energy, ideas and questions to ponder back from each group. A super win-win. Please join our Thrive Lounge community so you too can benefit!

5 Ways To Become A Vision Board Party Speaker

The first time I spoke at a vision board party, I was the host. My palms were sweaty, I was stumbling over my words, and to be honest…. I was pretty scared. I didn’t practice as much as I should have. I was afraid that my story wouldn’t resonate with the people in my audience. I was fearful that I wouldn’t get the response I was hoping for.

I really wanted to change lives.

I had been through SO much, and had come SO far, from having absolutely nothing. I knew that if I could find a way to authentically share what I had been through with others, that they might just be inspired to work on accomplishing dreams of their own.

Becoming a vision board party speaker is easier than you think. You can always host your own vision board party. And YOU can choose to BE the speaker for the party. You have the opportunity to speak as much or as little as you want. There is no one telling you that you can't do it, no barriers in front of you….. except maybe yourself.

In this post, I am going to give you all the tools that you need to become a GREAT vision board party speaker.

HAVE A COMPELLING STORY TO TELL

Let's be honest, no one wants to hear a boring story. If you're going to tell your story….. make it an epic one!

In my story, I went from a college graduate with no job prospects, bills up to my eyeballs, suffering from depression, and honestly contemplating suicide. I was able to go back to school, get a Masters, land my dream job, triple my income, AND create a better life for myself and my daughter.

I now get to use my story to help others see that they too, can do ANYTHING that they put their minds to. I am sure that you have your own story of trial and triumph. As a speaker, it’s your job to deliver that story in a way that’s compelling enough to inspire and motivate others.

HAVE A MESSAGE TO SHARE

It's not enough to have a great story of trials and triumph.…you also need to have a takeaway that the audience can immediately apply to their vision boards AND to their life.

Having a story is NOT enough. You want your audience to walk away from listening to your story feeling like they have actionable steps to move forward and to make Real. Lasting. Change.

Say for example, you used networking to take yourself to the next level. Simply saying ‘I used networking’ is not enough to convince an audience to make a change. You want to share exactly how you did those amazing things. You want to give them step-by-step actions. If you aren’t going to give them the goods, your talk may not be worth their time, Be open. Be honest. Be vulnerable. Be very detailed about how you changed your life. Break it down so it’s easy to understand and easy to follow. If you can do that, then you’ll really be able to help your audience make long lasting changes in their lives.

TAILOR YOUR TALK TO YOUR AUDIENCE

Write down the audience that you’re speaking so that you can tailor your story to the recipient of that story. I’ll give you an example.

I have a great story about how my daughter and I worked together in order to get me accepted into grad school. I literally had my 6 year old reading me flash cards, and helping me get through definitions of big hard words in preparation for the GRE. I would give her quiet time so that I could study. And when I came home from school, super tired, she would read ME bedtime stories so she could still get her reading in and I could rest.

We were quite the team.

Related Content: How to Guarantee Grad School is Worth Your Time & Money

However, if I’m speaking to a room of college students, that story might not really inspire them. It wouldn’t be relatable to them because the majority of them probably are not Moms, much less single Moms who are working, studying and parenting. They wouldn’t need that type of advice. They wouldn’t need motivation and influence through parenting. When you tell your story, make sure to tell THE story for the audience that you’re speaking to.

Being able to relate to the people that you’re speaking to will foster inspiration and motivation. Once you have both your story nailed down and your action plan set for the audience that you’re speaking to….. it’s time to practice.

PRACTICE

I like to record my story on my phone and listen to it during walks. I listen to it during transit whenever I’m in a car, bus, train, or plane. It’s important to hear your story over and over again.

Practicing with yourself is great, but, to really know what works in front of an audience….you’ll have to actually get yourself in front of an audience.

SPEAK AT VISION BOARD PARTIES TO HONE YOUR CRAFT

It’s important to get yourself in front of an audience because it is the only way for you to see how people will receive your message. This is where you will see when they laugh, when they smile, when they get silent, and when the entire room is so engaged - that you could hear a pin drop.

This can also be one of the BEST marketing tools if you want to continue speaking at vision board parties. If you do a good job, it’s likely that someone in that audience will remember your story. Their lives will be changed by crossing your path. And they’ll recommend you to others when future events come up.

A lot of the speaking engagements that I’ve gotten, are a result of speaking at a previous event. Someone who was at that event would call me up or email me and say ‘Hey, I saw that great talk that you gave and I’d love for you come and talk to my audience’.

So always make sure to put your BEST foot forward for Every. Singe. Talk. that you do, no matter how big or how small, because you never know what opportunities could follow.

Vision board parties are a great way to share your story. And it’s an amazing way to help others change their lives. By simply sharing your journey, they’ll be motivated to take action.

Share. Inspire. Change. Grow. Motivate.

Want To Start Planning Your Vision Board Party? 

1. Download the FREE vision board party planning checklist.

2. Craft your inspiring vision board workshop talk with our FREE High Impact Storytelling Journal Prompts. 

3. Plan, promote & host your first (or next) professional & profitable vision board workshop with our signature course, Sold Out Vision Board Parties.

---

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more info.

---

About the author

Cyrene is a fun and accomplished workshop facilitator, learning and development guru and Human Resources professional. Being at the helm of Thrive Lounge has been a long-time dream. Through vision board workshops she plans to accomplish two-way learning. Sharing her vast years of knowledge to motivate and encourage others; while simultaneously getting the reward of great energy, ideas and questions to ponder back from each group. A super win-win. Please join our Thrive Lounge community so you too can benefit!