It’s been my experience that even with the education gained in school, once you graduate and are employed in the real world, things are not as cut and dried as they may have been presented in books and lectures. Personal guidance, while not absolutely necessary for advancement, can make the entire process a lot less painful, allow you to move faster toward advancement, and in some cases, are the key to prolonged success.
A good mentor, no matter what time in life you meet them, can help you navigate the limiting beliefs and ideals placed on us by family, friends, society, and even ourselves. A mentor will support you and show the way to maximize your efforts, develop new skills, and find the right direction all while believing in you and boosting your confidence. But they will test you as well– asking questions and inspiring you to require more from yourself while holding the net under you as you break from old habits and molds.
Many times a mentor has walked your same path and knows what you will face as you move forward toward your goals. They can mitigate challenges or suggest alternate ways to handle setbacks with compassion born of being in your same shoes.
An empathetic guidepost will help you point your life in the direction you know is within you.
The following are excerpts taken from talented individuals speaking of their own mentors and what an honest and moving difference those mentors made in their lives.
Dr. Maya Angelou
“Mrs. Flowers took me to the library in the black school. The library was probably as large as a telephone booth. It may have had 110 books in it, maybe. She said, “I want you to read every book in this room.” And I found poetry. And I loved it, I just loved it. I had no idea what it would sound like since I had never heard any recited, but I loved it. And I was able to translate it at 8, at 9, at 10. I consider that a lifeline, because finally, when I was about 12 and a half, almost 13, Mrs. Flowers — who would allow me to come to her house and she would read to me — when I was almost 13 she said, you will never really love poetry until you speak it, feel it come across your tongue, over your lips.”
Gloria Estefan
“There is only one person in my life whom I consider my mentor–my grandmother on my mother’s side, Consuelo Garcia. Besides her obvious role as a grandparent, she represented to me a vivid example of a woman ahead of her time. She was a strong, caring, spiritual humanitarian who filled my life with possibilities, and through her example, gave me the belief that there was nothing I could not do or achieve in life. Although she was born in 1905 in Cuba, she felt no limitations and even aspired to be a lawyer, an unheard of profession for a Latin woman. And though she had to leave school to help her large family at the age of ten, she taught herself to read and write and became an amazingly astute businesswoman, and extremely independent.
“She cared for me from birth, and nurtured the thought that music was a gift I had received. And although I was reluctant to follow that path, I somehow found myself involved with music because our gifts are meant to be shared for the good and pleasure of others. We remained extremely close throughout my life, and even after her death I have often found comfort in her memory and the wisdom she shared with me.
“My grandmother always pointed out my strengths and filled me with hope for the future. She constantly nourished my inquisitiveness, and shared many quests for seeking answers to my questions. She wasn’t afraid to let me see her vulnerability, and made that intimacy an asset to be celebrated. Primarily through her example, I learned that we, as women, have limitless potential. I finally said yes to music because of her.
“The most valuable lessons I learned from my grandmother were to discover what makes you happy, and do it with as much energy and joy as you can muster. And that success takes perseverance, determination, and an unwavering belief in what you have chosen to do.”
Depak Chopra
“My most important mentors were my parents. My father was a very prominent physician and cardiologist. Once a week he would see patients free of charge for charity. And patients would come from all over the country, actually, to see him, on trains and buses. My mother would cook food for them and pay their bus fare and train fare. And my little brother and I would escort the patients in to see my father, who would not only write the prescriptions, but pay for the medicines for them as well. And at the end of the day, my parents would sit with me and explain what had happened during the day. And the moral of the lesson always was, that if you want to be happy, then you have to make somebody else happy.
“I grew up with this notion that you must always have somebody in your life that you can trust, that you can confide in, that you can seek advice from, and that you can learn skills from. And the best skills come not in school, they come from the people that you’re close to, that care about you, that you care about.”