My name is Esther Sylvester and this is my TFS experience.
First, I would like you to take a chill as we drift through my journey as a mentee and I hope you learn a thing or two. It’s going to be an engrossing long read.
“2020 is here! This year I need to be more serious with my life, I need to be intentional in every aspect of my life and be in alignment with God’s will for me”.
The lines above were inscribed in BLOCK letters on my heart as I crossed over into 2020. Indeed, TFS mentoring Academy for me was a prayer answered. This is God’s way of giving me the extra hand I need in my life to receive sense and become more intentional not just this year but FOREVER. I am aware God means business with me and I could not be stupid to miss the opportunity!
I was already “IN” in my mind even before my application was accepted lol.
5weeks of impartation, 5weeks of catching common sense, 5weeks of STRECH, 5weeks of A-AMAZING.Was it stretching and tough? YES! But flat-out YES, it transformed my life.
I am usually a goal oriented person but I found myself looking at a pile of things I needed to do and haven’t done. Ever since the TFS academy, my life has been Buzzing, Spinning, STRECHING, Opening up and generally BUSY. YES! I mean “PRODUCTIVELY BUSY”.
It is indeed an experience. The wisdom from Coach E’ is tangible and practicable. I have been blessed tremendously; so many lessons learnt from the program and I would like us to sail through each lesson one at a time.
JOURNALING: I learnt to consciously write down everything not just for writing sake but for knowledge sake. I must say Journaling is life! In coach E’s words “any person serious about life, MUST be one who Journals”. Having a Journal is IMPORTANT!
SPIRITUALITY: TFS started with a practical example of the “JESUS TIME”. Our first meeting was a prayer session where we spent some time with Jesus. In this few weeks my spiritual life shifted from casual to being INTENTIONAL and deliberate about fellowshiping with God.
I learnt discipline in the place of prayer and now I make my Jesus time SACROSANCT. I learnt the importance of confession and praying with the word.
PRODUCTIVITY: this one is a 4-unit course lol. The rule of this course is NO EXCUSES! I remember the day coach E’ said track your day as you go through it and feed me back by evening; hmmm… I was like “Ngwanu nsogbu adiro” lol.
I, with my shoulders high, sent in my feedback by evening; I am sure Coach E’s reaction would have been the “this girl is too casual” kind of reaction lol. She corrected amelioratingly without criticizing, that’s the sweetest part.
To be productive, one must be able to manage time intentionally, cut down distraction not necessarily for perfection rather for self-management. Reasons being; you don’t want to overload your day to overwhelm you as well as you don’t want to under-load your day because it would leave you lazing and NOT STRETCH you.
So there is need for a balance, and this can by scheduling everything, being responsible with allocation and sticking to it maximizes effectiveness.
It’s however not a walk in the park. Making To-do lists daily, having a “daily-musts” and living off the list daily STRETCHED, and is still STRETCHING my whole life…it’s not an easy sturv.
I didn’t realize how useful FRING HOURS could be to my advantage (do I even know what it was until TFS…lol). I got the drift from CoachE’ that I could be cooking and worshipping or laundering and listening to audio bible rather than leave my mind wandering.
I learnt to use social media to my advantage not giving it room to be a form of distraction.
Please let’s stop here on productivity. When I told you it was a 4unit course, you must have thought I was exaggerating. If I go on, we might not be able to talk about other lessons.
ACCOUNTABILITY PARTNER: This was another game changer. Daily we get to report in a virtual group with our to-do and results on how productive the day went, it’s not a joking something really. I love how addicted I am to this accountability thing, I may not necessarily report to the group anymore because TFS is over (insert tears emoticon) except my FAB sisters wants us to continue. But, TURNING UP for my own life, being responsible with allocation and sticking to it hasn’t STOPPED!
FRIENDSHIP/RELATIONSHIP: first thing that hit me hard here was “praying with someone doesn’t make the person your friend” o deep gann!
Relationships are more about intentionality, motive, commitment and structure. Friendship is not a thing to be casual about; it comes with a demand we have to live up to for it to strive but shouldn’t be cluttered with pressure. Relationships/friendships are for a season and its okay to move on when the season is over.
MENTORING: I learnt mentoring is best when it is organic and structured. There are mentors for every season and as a mentee, it is important to streamline the things I get from my mentors. To glean from my mentors both close and distant, I have to stay in their slipstream this way I can garner knowledge from resources and life experience they are generous enough to share.
Phew!!!
The FAB Sisters Academy has thought me that growth and comfort do not coexist in the same place.
Thank you CoachE’ for this amazing opportunity to be mentored by you. Thank you for pouring so much into me and the entire TFS babes. God replenish you as you continue to be a fruitful vine.
Love,
Esther
P.S:
The Mentoring Academy opens every quarter, and our Mail List subscribers gets to know first. We have the “F.A.B mentees program” for single ladies under 30 and “GDQ Mentoring” for strictly stay at home mums . Interested in getting fresh updates about opportunities like this? Join our mailing list here;