National Mentoring Month: Top 5 Reasons Why to Get a Mentor

When people speak of success, they often talk about how they got their career started and how far they were willing to go to reach their goals. One of the ways to reach your goals is to find someone who will personally guide you. Remembering them this month is one thing, celebrating the success you reached with their guidance is another!

National Mentoring Month began before Greek mythology. If you read the book, “The Odyssey,” one character specifically guides others in their lives. Mentoring encompasses both professional and academic development. Some of your teachers may guide you without you even noticing.

Mentoring appears in different disciplines such as:

• Life
• Art
• Craftsmanship
• Design
• Beauty

Most people celebrate National Mentoring Month every January and everyone is invited to reminisce the bright experiences you had with your mentors.

Historical timeline of National Mentoring Month

 

Image source: National Today

Benefits of mentoring

Finding a mentor feels rewarding, especially if you find someone that shares the same interests as you do. Mentors share their experiences of how they learned their discipline. Also, refrain from thinking that a mentor is only meant for those in educational fields.

Never-ending support

Mentors support you even when you’re at your lowest point. Whenever you feel lost in life, especially in the field that you’re pursuing, your mentor supports you and encourages you to continue. They remind you that even if it’s hard, a bright future awaits.

Honest feedback

Mentors give the most honest and real feedback anyone will receive during the course of the program. This allows you to improve on your weaknesses and focus on areas that could be better.

Give motivation to continue the work

When most encounter hardships, they give up easily. However, mentors see this as an opportunity to push people in the right direction. Telling them to continue with the work as your mentor always has your back. Think about the decisions that led you to that moment and the choices you’ll make for the future.

Help you go through tough questions

In coaching, mentors ask tough questions that leave you pondering. Sit down, breathe, and think about the things you plan on doing. A mentor’s curiosity powers different minds just like a life coach. Mentors help you find the answer from your wit and gut.

Activities during mentoring month

During this month, people across the country embark on various activities to share their knowledge about different disciplines. It encourages people, onlookers, and aspirants to find someone to mentor or even find someone to mentor you if you want to pursue another path.

Others engage in activities like:

• Mentoring someone
• Finding a mentor
• Celebrating with your mentors
• Creating a community for mentors and mentees

Why love National Mentoring Month?

One of the best things about National Mentoring Month is that it allows you to share your knowledge and expertise with people looking for skills to develop. Other reasons include the following.

Ignites unity among comrades and peers

Mentoring gives a chance for people from different fields get acquainted. It allows them to grow their skills and selves to be better in their field. This also lets you meet the mentor for your chosen field or discipline.

Builds courage and confidence

Mentorship lets you build your courage to converse with different people. At times, people encounter challenges in starting conversations. However, participating in events like this help conquer those challenges!

Lets you engage with the community through mentoring

A number of states create engaging activities inline with mentoring. People across the country pursue different careers and may think of starting a new path. First, they need to know what they need and how will they do it. This happens when they find a mentor to guide them to reach their goals and aspirations.

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Remember, when you know the path you want, find a mentor!

The post National Mentoring Month: Top 5 Reasons Why to Get a Mentor appeared first on Greg's Small Engine Service & Repair.

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What Fuel Type to Use in Your Lawn Mower and Small Engines

Most homeowners own different small engine equipment to help them maintain their house. From blowing off leaves in the front yard, to cutting the grass in the backyard. Small engine maintenance involves knowing the best fuel type for the equipment you own.

Know the best fuel for your lawn mower and small engines

In buying fuel for the equipment, remember to read the manual completely and take note of the recommendations it says. However, here are some tips to help you find the best fuel for your equipment.

Lawn mower

Every homeowners uses a lawn mower to maintain their yards, both front and back. Using it regularly consumes a big amount of fuel, which results in refuelling it more often. Due to the urgency of the task, some homeowners pick a different fuel than the one recommended. This may cause a malfunction in the lawn mower.

Most lawn mowers found in hardware stores use four-stroke engines. This kind of engine needs fresh unleaded gasoline. Make sure to get gasoline with an octane rating of 87 or more. Owners may use gasoline with ethanol. However, gasoline with an ethanol content of 10% is not usually recommended.

Chainsaw

People use chainsaws to cut trees and chop lumber. However, most fuels possess an octane rating of 87; chainsaws need more gasoline to work properly without any problems. The recommended gasoline for chainsaws needs an octane rating of at least 89 or more. Most classify chainsaws as high performance engines. A number of chainsaws produce more power than a lot of race car engines. This means that chainsaws work better with gasolines that possess higher octane ratings.

Some chainsaws with two-stroke engines need an oil/gas mixture. Some two-stroke engines work best with these ratios:

• 40:1 gas-to-oil ratio (2.6 fluid ounces of two cycle oil for a gallon of gas)
• 50:1 gas-to-oil ratio

Weedeaters, Brushcutters, String Trimmers

Homeowners use these tools to maintain the length of their grass. Keep it at minimum length to avoid getting pests or hinder the growth of the plants in the yard. These tools use unleaded gasoline that has an octane rating of at least 87. Avoid using gasoline that contains an octane rating lower than 87 or even diesel. Always use fresh gasoline for these.

Just like most chainsaws, these tools mostly use two-stroke engines that require an oil/gas mixture. Most of these equipments need a 40:1 gas-to-oil ratio, which means 2.6 fluid ounces of two cycle oil for a gallon of gas.

With technology continuously improving, manufacturers such as Honda began creating 4-stroke trimmers that do not need an oil/gas mixture.

Generators

During power outages, it’s very advantageous for homeowners to use their generators. It allows them to continue working or studying. Most generators use regular unleaded gas that has an octane rating of at least 87.

Remember to turn off the generator and let it cool for at least 2-3 minutes before filling up the tank. Do not refuel the generator while it’s turned on!

Snow blowers

Any homeowner during winter struggles with snow. Snowblowers help clear out roads and walking paths.

These tools use gasoline with an octane rating of 87. They do not need gasoline with higher octane ratings. Remember to stay away from fuel with ethanol contents of more than 10%. These tools can function with standard fuels with 10% ethanol.

Remember these to avoid corrosion in the engine.

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Owning small engine equipment helps with different tasks at home and at work. Remember to buy the recommended fuel to avoid corrosion in the engine. Greg’s Small Engine helps you pick the right fuel for your equipment and maintain it.

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Tips You Need to Know About Storing Small Engine Equipment

People in Nevada endure all seasons: summer, spring, autumn, and winter. When winter arrives, every household prepares their tools and other equipment for the cold weather.

Unlike other seasons, winter involves different ways of storing equipment that necessitates utmost care and attention. Winter causes equipment to break if improperly handled and stored. Learn the different ways on how to store small engine equipment here.

Tips for storing small engine equipment this winter

Most people wonder how can they properly store their small engine equipment. With these tips, storing will become an easy thing to do.

Spark plugs

Spark plugs ignite the air-fuel mixture inside the combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine. Experts say that these spark plugs need replacement after 100 hours or around 4 days of usage.

How to replace or store a spark plug?

1. Use a designated spark plug wrench and slowly turn its metal base to avoid breaking the plug.
2. When successfully removed, lubricate it with a few drops of oil.
3. Smoothly start the engine a few times to ensure it coats the cylindrical walls and valves.

Just a tip:

When replacing a spark plug, remember to use a new one with the exact the same part number. Different machines use different spark plugs. Doing so prevents future trouble with the engine.

Fuel

People use fuel for their generators, lawn equipment, and their cars. However, for the winter season, there are some tips to properly store fuel. Most fuels consist of ethanol, which breaks down over a period of time. This leads to deposits forming in the engine, which can move through the system and clog the carburetor.

How to properly store fuel?

1. Take out all the fuel from the equipment. Do this by letting the engine run until no fuel is left inside the tank.
2. Once it stalls, try starting it again to ensure the eradication of leftover fuel.

How to store equipment filled with fuel?

1. Use a fuel stabilizer.
2. Start the machine, run for around 5-10 minutes. This allows the mixture to circulate in the system.
3. Afterwards, turn the machine off.

This process lets equipment filled with gas stay up to six (6) months without trouble when starting again. When winter finally passes, starting the machine becomes easy.

Oils and filters

Oils form a very crucial part in the equipment that most people own, especially with cars. However, with small engine equipment inside the house, most wonder if they store it properly during winter.

How to store oils properly?

1. Always remember to change both the oil and filters to keep the mobile parts lubricated. Changing these keeps dirt and other particles from damaging the engine..
2. When owners change the filters, it helps eradicate grass and other particles that got stuck. This increases its fuel efficiency and power in the long run.

Paper filters are not reusable and need to be changed immediately after use. On the other hand, foam filters are reusable and are more eco-friendly.

How to store filters properly?

1. Rinse the foam filter using a solution composed of hot water and dishwashing liquid.
2. Put it flat on a surface to dry it out.
3. Coat it with oil before putting back inside the equipment.

Generators

With the winter season coming, generators are vulnerable to damage due to the cold weather. Nevertheless, follow these tips to prevent destruction of the generators.

How to store generators?

1. Drain the generator completely.
2. The engine will stop when it completely runs out of fuel.
3. Take out the oil from the crankcase while the engine is still warm. Refill with an oil grade recommended in the manual.
4. Carefully remove the spark plug.
5. Pour a small amount of engine oil into the cylinders, around 0.5 ounces.
6. Cover the hole for the spark plug with a clean rag. This prevents leakage when cranking the engine recoil.
7. Reinstall the spark plug and check if the wire got disconnected properly. This prevents accidental starts that lead to injuries.

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Avoid having to repair your small engines by properly storing your equipment by consulting Greg’s Small Engine for your storage needs.

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