GOODlife Magazine March 2017

paper, and saying ‘Ok what do I believe in? What’s important to me?’” In other words, find the things you want to always keep
in perspective, and write those down. Megan goes on, “For me it’s been really helpful in terms of defining the absolutes in my
life. For example, as an actor…I know this is kind of an extreme example, but a nudity clause. In a movie, I will not take off
my clothes, which is a real issue in the entertainment industry. A mission statement can be simple, just a couple of lines, but it
reminds you, ‘OK yeah, why do I get up in the morning?’ ‘What do I believe?’ For me, I keep it on a notecard, on my desk as a
reminder there in front of me.”
“A mission
statement can
be simple,
just a couple
of lines, but it
reminds you,
“OK yeah,
why do I get
up in the
morning?’...”
Having daily reminders of not only where you stand, but where you want to go, is so crucial
because human nature tends to lose sight of the big picture when we focus on the details.
One of the best ways to get those reminders is through accountability with like-minded
individuals who share that desire to grow. This is not just limited to surrounding yourself with
friends who will encourage you in this way, but it also means finding mentors in life that you
can look up to and from whom you can gain insights and knowledge.
Megan went on to describe the different types of mentors a person can have, as well as
strategies for proactively seeking them and their counsel. “You have to be creative with it.
In the book, I talk about distant mentors. Those are people that you may never even meet.
But if it’s somebody like Oprah, I’m going to read every book she’s written. I’m going to
study her interviews. I’m going to follow her as a role model from afar. Then there are casual
mentors. An example of a casual mentor would be when I bumped into Deborah Norville in
the hallway. She’s the anchor of our show, and she’s extremely busy. If I get five minutes with
her in the makeup room, I am going to be extremely intentional in my conversation. I was
engaged when I joined Inside Edition. I remember asking her, ‘What’s the secret to a good
marriage?’ She’s been married twenty years, which is highly unusual in our business, and she gave me couple pieces of advice.
And hopefully you will be able to get a few of those true mentors, which for me could be someone I met at church, where I get
to meet with them for coffee occasionally and exchange dreams and ideas and brainstorm. So you have to be creative, you have
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