Chapter Eight

First comes thought; then organization of that thought
into ideas and plans; then transformation of those plans into
reality. The beginning…is in your imagination.

— Napoleon Hill —

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Successful people set goals, keep expectations high, and are creative in developing strategies to reach their goals. They look at options and make informed decisions. Successful planning requires knowledge of one's rights and responsibilities, strengths and challenges. It also requires that we use tools and resources available to us. Insights in these areas are shared in this chapter.

A key skill for success is self-advocacy. Being able to self-advocate requires that people become experts on their disabilities, know what specific services and help they need, and be able to use strategies to obtain this help and support. Their lives should not be defined by the assumptions and decisions of others.

By completing the following activities young people will learn strategies to:

• develop action plans for meeting their goals
• anticipate the results and adjust plans accordingly
• be creative as they develop their plans
• visually rehearse their plans and make adjustments
• be a self-advocate
• communicate effectively

The e-mentoring administrator can select appropriate messages from the following examples and send the Mentor Tip messages to the mentors only and the E-Community Activity messages to the entire online mentoring community. Use these examples to stimulate other ideas for online discussions. It is desirable that, ultimately, most discussions topics come from the mentors and protégés.