Copy Cat

My girlfriend Jan has a birthday this week and she has taught me a lot about benchmarking. 

That is the task of observing "The Best" of something and holding it up as a model.

Jan grew up with a mother who wasn't proficient in many things:

Housekeeping

Friend making

Entertaining

Parenting

A Personal Relationship with God

When Jan became a young woman she was wise enough to look around and spot women she admired for their signature strengths and then she just copied them.  They became her benchmarks.

She studied them as if preparing for her PHD thesis.  She took mental notes of their homes, parenting styles, recipes, clothing styles, faith walks, and approaches to problem solving.  She read the books they read and joined the churches they belonged to.

She was such a copy cat that she ended up with beautifully adjusted children, a welcoming home and serving on the boards of prestigious women's organizations. All because she laid down her excuses and embraced the lessons all around her.

2011 presents an opportunity to stop, look and listen to our own private heroines.

If not now -- when?