BOOK REVEALS BENEFITS OF MENTORING

Edmond, OK, November 18, 2009 – In 1987, Tom Pace had $62.53 to his name and solid reputation as a failure.  He was 30 years old and had a string of 30 jobs that he hadn’t been able to hold along with failed attempts at college.  He had entered adulthood with the ability to read at a fourth-grade level.  Today, he is the author of the book Mentor:  The Kid & The CEO.

Written like an inspirational novel, the book is loosely based on Pace’s own life with characters that are composites of himself and others he has known.  “I’ve fictionalized my autobiography.  I wanted to write a book that would be entertaining but would also educate, “ Pace said.

Mentoring goes both ways for Pace.  Not only does he have mentors but he serves as a mentor as well. Like Malcolm in the book, Pace conducts meetings and passes out books every Monday evening at the Oklahoma County Jail. “I believe anyone can reach the top no matter where they are in life,” he said.

While Pace currently mentors several individuals from CEO’s to 15-year-olds, he also has a book-giving mission.  Reading is important to Pace because the knowledge he has acquired from books has helped him to have a significant life. “I have a mild case of dyslexia and I have Attention Deficit Disorder,” he said.  “I didn’t focus, so I didn’t read.”  Eventually, he read a book that opened his mind to the benefits of reading, and he has now read more than 500 books.  “When we read, we realize we’re not alone;” he said.

Pace released a companion workbook to Mentor: The Kid & The CEO in September of 2009.  The workbook compliments the book by helping readers to put the principles of the book into practice including a dream list, exercise program and budget.  “I want people to see the value of having a mentor in their life and I want people to see the value of mentoring,” Pace said.  “We need to help others and not expect anything back,” he said.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Author and business owner Tom Pace read at the 4^th grade level at age 26.  Today he is an avid reader and CEO of PaceButler Corporation, a multi-million dollar, international company.

The article is entitled: The Great Giveaway – Tom Pace brings the principles of The Purpose Driven Life to prisoners across the nation by Michael Haederle. The article spotlights Tom’s passion to help others through his book ministry. You can pick up a copy of the magazine at any location where magazines are sold.

Tom Pace is the author of the award-winning book Mentor: The Kid & The CEO. He is also the CEO of the PaceButler Corporation and ELC Roundtable. PaceButler buys used cell phones and old and unwanted gold and jewelry. The company pays up to $75 per cell phone and up to $450 per ounce of gold. To learn more, visit: www.pacebutler.com and www.pacebutlergold.com ELC Roundtable is a peer-to-peer group of Entrepreneurs, Leaders and CEO’s that come together once a week to help each other in business and in life.

Too many people today blame every one and everything else for their place in life. They blame the government, their parents, the school system, gas prices…whatever they can find to blame other than themselves. One of my favorite quotes on this topic comes from the famous actor Brad Pitt. Brad says, “I’m not worried that it’s not going to happen. I’ll make it happen. You make the things you want in this life.” Brad understands that to be successful in life you must take full responsibility for your actions and the consequences of these actions.

If you cannot accept lesson #1 and take full responsibility for your past, present and future, then you will never achieve the amount of success you truly want and desire to have

Thought To Ponder: What areas in your life do you need to take responsibility for?

-Chemistry – The mentor and the student must have chemistry. They must get along. You can’t really explain chemistry; it is just something you feel with the other person. You can tell when two people have good chemistry because everything clicks, and the two people feel it’s fun and easy to be around each other.

-Respect – There must be mutual respect from each person. You don’t have to respect everything about the person, but the student definitely needs to respect the mentor in the area they are asking to be mentored. The student needs to remember that no person is perfect, and everyone has weaknesses and difficulties. Don’t expect your mentor to be perfect. A good student may recognize a weakness in one mentor and should then find another mentor who is strong in that particular area.

-Honesty – There needs to be a high level of honesty between the two people. Mentoring is a relationship. Great relationships thrive when each person is honest with the other person. How is a mentor supposed to help the student if the mentor doesn’t truly know the student? And how is the student supposed to believe the mentor if the mentor is not honest with the student? Open and honest communication can really develop a strong mentoring relationship.

-Success – The student needs to make sure the mentor has success in the area they are asking the mentor to help them in. That’s the difference between a coach, a teacher and a mentor…the mentor’s actually done it and experienced it. Yes, someone can be a teacher and a mentor, but the only way a teacher can be a mentor is if they have success or experience in the particular area in which they are helping others.

-Right Timing – Make sure the mentor has the time to spend with the student. There needs to be enough time get to know each other, whether it’s eye to eye or over the phone. I prefer building the relationship in person. One way I like to mentor others is through running. I invite students to run with me. This isolates us and allows us time to talk, get questions answered, and get to know each other better. This also helps the mentor figure out who is serious and who is not. Inviting someone to do something that requires effort (like running) really shows me who I should invest my time in. If they can’t run do to physical issues, they can always ride a bike. One major thing many people over look is this: you cannot mentor someone who doesn’t want to be mentored. Give that person time and space with hope that they will eventually come around and be ready to receive mentoring.

This is a constant frustration I hear from people all the time. It was a constant frustration for me too…

Until I found this little solution to fix my problem.

Here’s how my story went. My goal was and still is to run 9 miles every week around Lake Hefner. This is a beautiful lake near my house. I wanted to run the lake every Saturday morning at 6am…that’s right 6am. So here’s what I did…

I just so happened to be mentoring a few people at the time and I told them if they wanted time with me then they needed to meet me at Lake Hefner at 6am on Saturday morning.

Once An Entrepreneur, Always An Entrepreneur

I have been an entrepreneur ever since I was very young. I was an elementary student when I started my first business. I found the cutest kid I could find (I was in 4^th grade, he was in 2^nd grade) and sent him door to door smiling and selling swipe products

The following is an interview we conducted with her:

1. How did the book, Mentor: The Kid & The CEO, impact your life?
   My priorities have changed since reading the book. It made motivated me to rethink the way I do things.
2. What are you going to do with the $1,000 CASH?
   I am going to give some of the money to each of my family members, buy Christmas gifts, and start a savings account with the rest.
3. Which mentor in your life has had the most impact on you and why?
   My mom. She is a great mother and I can talk to her about anything.
4. What are you going to do with the $1,000 worth of free books?
   My sister is going to be a teacher. I am going to giver her some of the books to pass out to her students. Also, I am going to give some of the books to my school library.
5. What has been the most memorable moment of your life?
   I got my sister a toy a long time ago and she still has it to this day. I love to see her happy. Family is very important to me.
6. What is your profession?
   I am a 10th grade high school student.

Its simple…go to www.mentorhope.com