Has someone consistently said or done anything in your life that pushed you to make wiser decisions and to want something better than what you currently have in life?
Has someone ever inspired you by how they live, walk, and talk? Has anyone encouraged you, lent you their shoulder to cry on, or their ears to listen to you during some of your toughest times?
I don’t know about you, but I can answer “YES” to those questions without hesitation. If it were not for some people, I honestly do not know where I would be in my life. Those people are known as mentors. Needless to say, I had mentors way back when, and (GUESS WHAT?!?!) I still have them now.
Just in case you are wondering, I am talking about mentors because January is National Mentoring Month (NMM). NMM is “an annual campaign celebrated in January, dedicated to raising awareness about the power and impact of mentoring.
It’s a time to recognize and honor the contributions of mentors while encouraging individuals to become mentors themselves” (awarenessdays.com). Mentors are like angels, unaware and free therapy.
They show up when they’re needed.
They tell you what you need to hear with love and unbiased advice, and they support you through the ups and downs of life. To be honest, we all need mentors at some point in our lives, and we all need to be mentors at some point.
Being a mentor can be rewarding for both the mentee and the mentor; it can be a source of personal and professional growth for both parties.
Mentorship (the guidance provided by a mentor) can be a win-win for organizations, schools, and communities because mentors are needed in all three areas. Since they can easily overlap, a mentor in one of these areas can be beneficial to the other areas.
It doesn’t cost much to be a mentor – the most a mentor may spend of himself/herself is time.
You can become involved in mentoring by: “sharing your knowledge and skills with someone in need of guidance in your community or workplace; volunteering with organizations that offer mentoring programs for youth, students or aspiring professionals; inspiring others to become mentors or mentees by sharing your mentoring experiences and stories on social media; and participating in mentoring-related events, workshops, and seminars to learn more about effective mentoring practices…” (awarenessdays.com).
If a mentor has helped save and/or shape your life, pay it forward by being a mentor to someone else.
Even if you have been blessed to not need a mentor, do not let that stop you from being one.
Some youth or young adult is waiting for and depending upon your guidance, knowledge and love to show them something different, to be a blessing to his/her life. Mentoring is not HARD work – it’s HEART work.
