Why I Love Having and Being a Mentor

Yesterday was a wonderful day for me to catch up with a dear friend of mine whom I consider a mentor.  She is in her fifties, living each day with passion, and always offers insight and wisdom in areas I need work in.  She also isn’t afraid to ask me tough questions about vital areas in my life that are of  most importance to me.  She speaks truth, grace, and accountability to me in a loving, kind way.  I love her.  Just knowing her is such a privilege, having her as my mentor is truly an honor.  The funny thing is that although I look to her as a mentor I don’t think she has a clue that I consider her as one.  To her we are just good friends.  That’s okay by me.  In fact, she is one of several mentors I have.

All through life there were people I admired and looked up to.  It wasn’t until I turned twenty years old that I realized the value and impact of having mentors in my life.  Only a few of them were people I actually knew and established wonderful relationships with.  The rest of them were people I sought out in the form of books, teachings, and CDs.  Each mentor had an important role in shape me and how I manage my life, priorities, and perspectives.

For instance, one of my earlier mentors was a woman by the name of Kathy.  I was the small group leader of Kathy’s daughter, Lori.  There was something so special about Kathy and how she lived her life.  As our relationship grew I learned so much about myself, motherhood, and what it meant to be a good wife… although I had no husband and no children.

As I grew older, I surrounded myself with my mentors in areas I wanted to grow in such as leadership, business, personal finance, etc.  In these cases, I would check out as many books and CDs at the library learning everything I could in the areas these mentors were gifted in.  Several finance mentors taught me how to pay off  debt, live within my means, and manage money more effectively.   I also had relationship mentors.  These mentors helped me become a better communicator with my husband, children, and others around me.  As you can see I have all sorts of mentors, most of which I don’t personally know.  I make it a point to listen to podcasts weekly on various topics.  Currently most of these podcasts are faith-based, which helps me live each day with purpose.

I also believe in being a mentor as well.  Currently my husband and I mentor a young couple who’ve been dating just over a year.  They are in their early twenties and had asked us early on in their relationship to mentor them.  Part of the reason why we were asked is because we are older and have been married long enough to offer experience and wisdom about how we’ve made it.  Last night we had this couple over for dinner and after we put out kids to bed we had a lengthy conversation on different aspects of relationships.  Their willingness to be open and honest about their struggles made it easy for us to share how we handle conflict and also affirms to them that even married couples fight and struggle too.  To provide a safe environment for them to share and speak candidly provides a support system on which they can lean on.

I firmly believe everyone has natural gifting they can share with others who can learn from them.  To share knowledge, wisdom, and understanding to those who are seeking answers is a gift.  Helping others achieve their goals and dreams can potentially impact not only the lives of those who are the mentored, but the lives of everyone they touch daily.  For me personally, helping others reach their potential is fulfilling in ways I cannot even explain.

I also believe there will always be others we can learn from.  Having a mentor is not a sign of weakness but is an attribute of a person who has wisdom.  Acknowledging a lack of knowledge but a willingness to learn will serve a person well.  However, people who believe they know it all and cannot possibly learn anymore will often find themselves stuck and unable to grow any further than where they presently are.

Are you growing?  If not, could you use a mentor? If so, have you thought about how finding one?  If you’re a mentor or are being mentored, what have you learned so far to help you with your life goals?

Tagged as: life journey, personal growth