Tag: #leadership

Why Ignoring Being A Child Again Will Cost Your Dreams

Growing up I always had this dream to come to America. The question I always had was, how in the world am I going to do that? My parents were not the type of parents that would travel, even in Puerto Rico they did not go out and adventure. We were not the type of family that went on vacation. Their vacation time was spent at home.

I always heard some of my classmates talk about their summer vacations, which must of the time were to Disney. I love hearing about it, but to be honest with you that wasn’t my dream. Never care about Disney World.

I have always been a person that sees opportunities in problems and obstacles. I guess that’s how I was either brought up or wired, I don’t have a definite answer about why I was that way, well still I’m that way.

I believed it was 1993 when my brother had broken up with his girlfriend, his high school sweetheart. I remember when she left. She moved to United States. Guess what happened at that time? My brother couldn’t see himself without her. He was just devastated and decided to pursue her and work things out and move to united States with her.

Omg! Now I am devastated. My brother is leaving us? Im so happy for him because to be honest with you we didn’t get along all that much, but still he is my brother and we lived under the same roof. However I wished him well and I also was excited for his new chapter.

After all of that soap opera going on which I couldn’t stand, because frankly I hate drama, and I still do, my dad lost his job. So there was adversity going on in our family. It really wasn’t anything to be worry about but my mom had said to me there was a possibility that she was not going to be able to get me back to private school for my senior year if my dad didn’t have his job back.

Wow, how in the world am I going to be able to go to public school after being in private school all my life? I knew I didn’t belong there, eventhough I had friends that went to public school, there were not many though, but they really were private school potential. Meaning that they were just like me. We had same values, same opportunities but the only thing that made them different from me was that their parents didn’t have the financial resources but we were able to connect to the same level. I don’t know if you will understand where I am coming from. I am not saying anything bad about people that went to public school. The public school system in my area was just not made for me nor my family. Thats all im saying. I had other family members that went to public school and are great people and still have same values,, however public school in my area was not an option for me. I just could not relate to most of the people that were in public school period. A lot of them came from broken families, the projects and their vision and mine was just not in alignment.

So, here I am in the middle of trying to decide, well do I try to make it in public school or do I try to purse my childhood dreams? Hummm?. That’s was a no brainer, don’t you think?

I remember just like it was yesterday going to my mom’s office and seating in front of her desk and say to her, mom I want you to buy me a plane ticket, I’m moving with my brother to United States. ( And there was silence).

I didn’t stutter, I didn’t feel my eyes blink a bit, this was a decision that it had to be made right away. My poor mother was so shocked. This haven’t even been discussed with my brother. He was going to be a newlywed. There is a lot of things that needed to be thought through but for whatever reason that was nothing for this 17 year old girl worry about.

My mom bought my ticket. The rest of this happy ending is history.

Every time I have to make decisions in life I always go back to that little girl who had a dream. That girl that always dreamed to come to America, learn English and go to college and see the other side of the world. John Maxwell said on his leading through crisis mastermind group, “You are not made in a crisis, you are revealed.”

This was a very hard decision to make and I sure made it. When you have decisions to make always think about what your guts tells you. Always go with what your dreams are. Do not let anyone ever crash your dreams, your future, your potential. If you do, you will regret it and you may resent other people.

Everytime I see problems or crisis again I look for opportunities and in some of my future blogs I’m going to share with you what I have done. John Maxwell defines a crisis as “an intense time of difficulty requiring a decision that will be a turning point.”

People may think I’m lucky, some people may think I’m high maintenance, some people may think I’m conceded when in reality I’m always in the background working hard so when problems, adversity, hard times or whatever you want to call it show up, I look at it in a positive way and take things seriously as an opportunity and make the best out of it. I love this quote “Adaptable leaders can John Maxwell says, turn adversity into advantage”. This is how I have been so successful in my life. This is how I have been able to live a pretty happy and healthy life that I am not willing to change for noone.

God bless,

Jani

http://www.johnmaxwellgroup.com/janitzarivera

Change Your World

As 2021 approaches, I’m excited to make it a better year than 2020. I’m starting this next year by facilitating Transformation Tables as part of the Change Your World journey! I will be walking with other participants through values-based lessons that will equip me to make a positive difference in my world. Would you like to join me?”

God Bless

Janitza

The First Person You Must Lead Is You

This book is about leadership. I heard about the author Rebecca Halstead on an interview she was having at Steven Shallenberge’s podcast about leadership and she talked about her book and I seriously didn’t think it would be as good as it is.

You would think when you have a child, take classes and take care of everything else in life you don’t have time to be reading but the truth of the matter is that you have to make time. I love this book and I want to share few things about leadership.

You have one person to lead- that person is YOU.

If you want to change yourself, your family, your community and your work place you need to start drawing a mental circle. If you want change, you need to start inside your personal circle.

In other words the first person you should lead is you.

Be the change you wish to see in the world.

I will never ask someone to do something I was not willing to do myself.

I had to talk the talk and walk the walk.

Leadership is your choice. Character is who you are when no one is watching.

Are leaders born or made? What do you think? Take some time to think about this. What skills and traits, values and behaviors make up your leadership chemistry?

You must identify your strengths and manage your weaknesses. This is the second time I see this. Remember that no one is ever too old or important to stop learning.

The day you stop learning is the day you stop leading, for that matter is the day you stop really living.

I hope this gives you a little synopsis about what the book is all about. I recommend you to read it. Once I’m done I will write more about leadership and why you are the first person you need to lead.

God bless,

Jani

Experiencing Mentorship as Leadership At Mary Baldwin University

Speakers, alumni, and students share their perspectives on the Women’s Leadership Symposium

October 27, 2020MBU students, masked and distanced, gathered in the Student Activities Center to watch live-streamed keynotes and participate in Q&A sessions.

The second annual Women’s Leadership Symposium on October 24 wove together meaningful speeches, practical advice, and participation from industry experts, workshop facilitators, and attendees both on campus and across the country.

Three keynote speakers gave insight into their unique perspectives on leadership and mentorship, telling stories from their careers and summarizing key take-aways for the audience to put into practice in their own lives. 

A live Q&A followed each speaker so both in-person and virtual attendees could engage directly with the experts.

MBU students also had the opportunity to attend break-out sessions and workshops during the day where they gained tools to help them prepare for entering the job market after graduation.

“I knew that the different guests and speakers would offer priceless advice on how to expedite my confidence in being a strong, working woman.”

— Courtney Rosenstadt ’23

“I would say that my mother, Dr. [Carey] Usher, and other strong women in my life influenced me to participate in the symposium, because we as women should learn from each other.”

— Savanna Nobles ’22

Speaker Dara Beevas ’02 placed her remarks firmly in the context of 2020 and all its challenges, looking back to her time at Mary Baldwin and thinking about the questions, fears, and plans her college-aged self would have been experiencing.

Throughout her talk, she identified three ways of being in the world and working through challenges: survival mode, hustle mode, and, finally, purpose mode. The first two are important to acknowledge, she said, but unsustainable. 

“We often move along doing the thing we’re supposed to do, instead of doing the thing that we are called to do,” Beevas said.

The third option, purpose mode, is the path to conscious and effective leadership — and also the source of productive mentorship. It opens people up to curiosity, growth, and stretching themselves toward new challenges.

“In purpose mode, you are centering the voice inside, who already knows where they should be in this moment, and they know why,” Beevas said.

Watch Beevas’ full talk here.

“The world is starving for your leadership, your creativity, your ideas, and your willingness to have tough conversations.”

— Speaker Dara Beevas ’02, publisher and author

“It was really meaningful to me when speaker Dara Beevas asked us to ask ourselves ‘Where am I being called?’ It was something that I had to actually sit there and think about. I am so focused on getting my degree that I haven’t asked myself ‘Is this my calling? Do my personal values align with this career?’”

— Jasmine Matthews ’21

Dr. Leigh Frame ’06 was the second keynote speaker for the symposium on the theme of mentors and allies in healthcare. She gave advice on how to find an effective, knowledgeable, and available mentor in the healthcare world, and how they can help their mentees develop into healthcare leaders. 

“Mentorship is many things including sharing knowledge,” Frame said, “and then inspiration — how you can inspire others to become a leader or change healthcare or get into the healthcare field initially.”

She identified different types of mentoring — coaching, guidance, and inspiration — and the strategic value they each bring, together with shadowing a healthcare professional to absorb what the career is like day to day.

Thinking about attendees who are interested in joining a healthcare profession, Frame gave tips on different introductory and entry roles that are available, and on staying persistent.

“The moral of the story is just keep trying,” she said. “Don’t be discouraged if your mentor doesn’t respond to you at first. Don’t be discouraged if being a hospice volunteer didn’t work out for you. Try something else.”

Watch Frame’s full presentation here.

“There are so many kinds of positions in healthcare that you have to find the one that’s right for you. And this is also true of your mentor, you have to find the right mentor or mentors for you.”  

— Speaker Dr. Leigh Frame ’06, integrative medicine researcher and program director

“It really meant a lot to hear Dr. Frame speak about the many challenges and wins she has faced in her field, all while providing such impactful advice to those of us seeking healthcare-related careers.”

— Emily Carroll ’18, administrative assistant and graduate student at MBU’s Murphy Deming College of Health Sciences

MBU students had the opportunity to participate in sessions and conversations on career preparation, nontraditional mentorship, men as allies, networking for their first job, and salary negotiation; here facilitated by Nell Desmond, director of the Vantage Point, MBU’s office of personal and professional development.

“I am in a place where I would love to mentor anyone that would need to know all about my expertise in my field of dentistry. I have so much knowledge that I’m ready to pass on to anyone who would benefit from it. I want people to love what they do.”

— Janitza Rivera ’99, assistant office manager, Smiles for Life

I’m looking forward to next years women’s leadership Symposium.

God Bless

Jani

Success…

Success isn’t overnight. It’s when everyday you get a little better than before. It adds up. -Dwayne Johnson

Here I list some of the things that helped me get better at what I do in life. I hope this help you get better if this is what you are looking for. I hope it inspires you if you are confused and do not know where to start or you can get a thing or two out of it because you are simply wanting to see about other ideas beside the ones you are trying. Enjoy!

  1. Become More Observant. Notice everything that surrounds you.
  2. Collect Ideas. Ideas and thoughts tend to evaporate from your mind too fast.
  3. Develop A Habit to Act.
  4. Read.
  5. Expand Your Comfort Zone.
  6. Set goals.
  7. Do more of what already works.
  8. Learn how to solve problems and handle them.
  9. Stay positive.
  10. Align yourself with people who are experienced, especially in the field you want to be in.

If you get one percent better each day for one year, you’ll end up thirty-seven times better by the time you’re done.

God bless

Janitza