A Mentor's Letters: Trusting your Intuitions - Business and Life Strategies

By Tom French

When Tom French turned seventy, his wife gave him a collection of notes from ninety-eight friends and colleagues. Each note shared the difference Tom had made in their lives, and he noticed that each note spoke to qualities and actions that Tom had set up as goals for himself in a mission statement written 20 years prior. He wrote this book to help other individuals see how living on a mission positively affects the lives of their work associates, family members, and friends. His own mission statement helped him begin to look forward to working, trust his intuition, and provide direction to his customers and employees.
"A Mentor's Letters" details Tom French's life as a businessman and how he developed habits for success. This book guides businessowners through writing their mission statements and trusting their intuitions. First, readers learn how to uncover their desire and overcome their fears so they can begin to move toward their goals. Then, readers will discover how to master risk-assessment and identify their core values and skills so they can begin to set intentions. Finally, readers will be guided through writing a mission statement. French has seen his own life improve greatly by living on mission, and hopes to help entrepreneurs learn to trust themselves and live on their own missions so they can appreciate the difference they make in the world.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Mar 1, 2023
• ISBN: 9781667885667

Book preview

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A Mentor’s Letters

Trusting your Intuitions - Business and Life Strategies

©2023, Tom French

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

ISBN: 978-1-66788-565-0

ISBN eBook: 978-1-66788-566-7

Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction

PART I: Hard Work

Chapter 1. Inner Spark

Chapter 2. Life

Chapter 3. Character Stamina

PART II: Intention

Chapter 4. Skills Development

Chapter 5. Optimism

Chapter 6. Plan Success

PART III: Scout Law

Chapter 7. Truth & Loyalty

Chapter 8. Generosity

Chapter 9. Be A Good Person

Chapter 10. Cookie Monster

Chapter 11. Brave

Chapter 12. Inside and Out

Chapter 13. Reverence

Conclusion

Acknowledgments

The first person I need to acknowledge is my loving wife. If it weren’t for her, writing this book would never be possible, as you will discover in my book is the story of what she did for my 70th birthday. At the start of that year, my close cousin passed away. I canceled my birthday party and told Annie I just wanted to go away with her.

The second person I wish to acknowledge is Felicia Hyllested, who spent countless hours interviewing me and taking copious notes about my life history.

Through this arduous effort, she drafted the book for me to review and correct the mistakes. As with Annie’s actions, Felicia was the source of most of the content.

The third acknowledgment must be Annie’s daughter Stacy Sayles and all the 98 individuals who sent a note talking about the difference I made in their lives. Most people are unaware of the difference they made during their lifetime! Stacy collected them all, inserted them into envelopes, tied them in bunches with twine and a wax stamp seal, and placed them into a huge box.

The last is to Joyce Di Lorenzo, who asked to see what I thought was my edited book and spent 17 hours getting into a publisher format and came to our house to explain everything and provided software to help me edit everything. Her proactive move was the reason that I finished and published this book.

April 24, 2012

Happy Birthday!

To my best friend, the love of my life and someone I can always count on to be there for me, I love you so much.

Since you mean so much to me, I wanted to do something special for your birthday and I hope you feel it is also special. Sorry, no party, no extravagant trip, and no big surprises, just a wonderful weekend with just the two of us. But what I did do for you was to email blast people that have been a big part of your life.

I was hoping for 70 letters for 70 years. Well, that did not happen.

Below is what I sent out to as many people as I could get a hold of:

If you’re receiving this email, you probably know that Tom French is turning 70 on March 24th (much as he would hate us to be reminding everyone, I’m sure). To celebrate his birthday, I’d like to put together a little surprise to let him know that his nearest and dearest are thinking of him. I’m going to try and create 70 Years of Memories by filling 70 envelopes with a memory his friends and family have of him.

And this is where you come in!

If you have a spare moment, I would be so grateful if you’d jot down something you want to say to Tom, a favorite memory, add pictures or just a birthday wish and put it in the post. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy – you can just write it down on a piece of paper and sign your name. You can mention anything you like – although the more nostalgic the better.

Thank you so much for participating – I know everyone is busy with their own lives, and I do appreciate you taking a few minutes to do this. On his birthday I will give him the envelopes, it will be worth it when he reads all the memories people have of him! (Please do not forget to keep it a surprise until then though!).

So, I will be the first to share a memory and to wish you a wonderful birthday.

There are so many memories (I could write a book) that are so special to me but there is one that stands out all the time for me.

This is before we were married, and Paul (my ex) was living at your house. I had called, and you told me he had not been staying there. I was very upset, and you told me to come over. I picked up Chinese food and we ate at your coffee table. You were so gentle, compassionate and kind. You had the right words to say that night. You put some music on, and we danced, and really at that moment I wanted to dance with you for the rest of my life, but you were already taken. That night I left it was a dream of mine to find someone like you. You were easy to fall in love with. Well, my dream came true, in fact it’s not only a dream but it has been a fairytale and we have been dancing ever since.

By the few letters you did get you can tell why I am so lucky to have someone like you in my life.

I am so blessed to have you, and may you have many more years ahead so that we can make more beautiful memories together.

Love,

Annie

Introduction

The first time someone suggested that I write a book about business and life strategies I somewhat laughed at the idea. To begin, I am not a writer, and second, I wasn’t sure how to put into words all the things that I have learned and applied in my own life that I try to teach to others. A lot of my mentoring consists of introducing the writing of Stephen Covey.¹ His systematic method of breaking down priorities, passion, and meaning to life is brilliant and the handiest way I know how to teach others the habits that are connected to my own success. But it isn’t all of who I am, and once the idea was presented to write my strategies down, I found that I couldn’t stop thinking about what that really is.

It was not until my 70th birthday that it all came together in the most unlikely of ways. My wonderful wife Annie had secretly worked with our daughter in Seattle went through my address book and emails to reached out to all my family, friends, and business colleagues throughout my life asking them to share a story about me. The goal of receiving 70 letters she sent out to 120 contacts. Having all sent to Seattle they placed each note into an envelope sealed them in wax and tied a twine around a group of five She booked my birthday weekend at Kenwood wine estates, bringing a large box filled with over 90 letters, written by people who have known me over my seven-decades of life.

On my birthday after breakfast, she asked me to guess what was in the box. I guessed a Rolex watch which she stated was wrong size box. When Annie gave me, her note I opened the box words cannot begin to describe the overwhelming emotions I felt that day while slowly reading each and every letter. Childhood friends, work colleagues from my early 20’s, dear friends, nieces and nephews, grandchildren, and of course my own children. The thread of lives that I had touched on some level, or another was humbling. And the word that was used time and again across all these people throughout all the years of my life was mentor.

There is a deep sense of satisfaction to have this theme show up so prominently in the letters. I have been defined as a great many things throughout my life that I pride: entrepreneur, CEO, board member, husband, grandfather, and uncle. But there are things that I wish I had done better, mainly being a more available father when my children were young. But the one thing that I have always been passionate about is helping others with the knowledge, resources, and talents that I have been fortunate enough to possess. It is my mission; it is my mantra.

Written in the following pages is what I’ve experienced to be successful components to living a full and successful life. But before you get started you should know a little about me and what qualifies me as a resource you would want to use.

Humble Beginnings.

My story begins 10,152 feet in the sky in the highest incorporated city in the United States. Nestled in the middle of the Rocky Mountains my hometown of Leadville, CO was a beautiful but hard mining town. Famous for its legendary silver boom in the late 1800’s the city had proven itself to be a seemingly never-ending provider of natural resources deep in its rocky surface. Even today it houses the highest producing molybdenum mine in Colorado. Rugged, majestic and freezing best describe my place of origin with an annual average