National Mentoring Month 2015
Welcome to National Mentoring Month 2015! Each January we use this national spotlight on the importance of building effective mentoring relationships to highlight mentoring practices, programs, and relationships here on the Wake Forest campus. It is an opportunity to reflect on those relationships that are so important to our growth and development, to express appreciation for those who are invested in our lives, and to renew our commitment to one another and to this community.
This year, we are focusing on the importance of mindfulness as part of our National Mentoring Month celebration. Why mindfulness? A big part of any effective mentoring relationship is the act of reflection: reflection on your choices and decisions, reflection on the goals you are setting for yourself, reflection on your actions and what you are learning along the way. And the ability to reflect, and to learn, requires that you build mindful practices into your life so that you can be present in that life.
In this space we provide tools and resources to help you to develop this awareness and presence. Watch the videos. Take the inventory. Read about the experiences of your peers. Discuss what you are learning with your mentor. And join the conversation on Twitter.
TED Talks
Dr. Kristin Neff, The Space Between Self-Esteem and Self-Compassion, February 2013
Kelly McGonigal, How to Make Stress Your Friend, September 2013
Mindful Attention Awareness Scale
(developed by Kirk Warren Brown, Ph.D. & Richard M. Ryan, Ph.D.)
Use this scale to answer questions about your day-to-day experiences. To score the scale, add up the numbers selected for each statement and divide by 15 to get an average. Higher scores reflect higher levels of daily mindfulness.
Once you’ve completed the scale and calculated your results, consider the questions below. We recommend that you discuss the following in conversation with your mentor or mentee.
- Do you often find yourself running on “automatic pilot” throughout the day/week? If so, what might you do to be more intentional and aware of what you’re experiencing?
- Why are you involved in your extracurricular activities? What are you hoping to gain and learn?
- How are you allocating your time between academics, on- and off-campus involvement, friendships, work, etc.?
- What is your biggest “a-ha moment” or lesson that you’ve learned about yourself this past semester?
- How do you want to be different during this upcoming semester?
- One year from now, I want to look back on my Wake Forest college experience and say “I’m glad I did…” and/or “I learned…about myself.”
- From the start of my first year at Wake Forest until now, I have changed in the following ways…
This is by no means an exhaustive list of questions to consider! Using the statements on the inventory, identify other areas or aspects of life where you may need to be more reflective, intentional, and mindful on a daily basis.