You’ve heard it and I’ve heard it. You pick a field to specialize in then you pick a mentor that is going to help you through the process of novice to expert. I’ve never seen or experienced it. At least, not in the traditional sense. If you have found this person, you are one of the lucky ones. As for the rest of us, you may never get a mentor. There will be no person who has the experience in what you dream to do, is in the position you want to be in, and is dying to share all the experience with you because they are just that great of a person. So, what exactly do you do? Well, you get to create your mentor. You have to take little pieces of people who can help you get better throughout your novice to expert journey. This will make you just as thankful as finding that one “mentor” because you’ll realize there will be hundreds of people who make up your mentor.
Where do you look for the pieces? There are people like myslef who may put something out there that points you in the right direction or sets a light bulb off in your head. So, the first place to look would be online. Blogs, vlogs (video blogs), instructional videos. YouTube is definitely your friend. This is not high school or college. You don’t need a scholarly article to get what you are looking for. The information will help you way more than an A ever did. School may have been your thing, maybe it was not but learning from others will be something you’ll need to embrace. There are people out there who are willing to help you, again not in the traditional sense, but they are there to be a piece. There are also people who sell these “courses”. Now these are risky, so I’d advise reading/watching a large number of free things they supply before paying for anything. (Even from me) Remember, you are building a mentor, everyone is a piece, but the size of the piece is determined by you. Choose wisely.
Where else can you look? This is the part that doesn’t include the internet. This part has to do with living. You not only have to experience things but be aware enough to utilize them. You can no longer just be. You must pay attention and process everything that is put in front of you. In life, you’ve met people you admired and people you couldn’t stand but now you should look one step further. Does this person have any traits that can make me better? No, you don’t need to befriend the person you don’t like but you shouldn’t ignore the way he/she has the amazing ability to knock every wall in front of them down, handle misfortune, or look within for confidence. The person you like can’t seem to get ahead but you like them. Basically, don’t throw away great character traits with the person. You are building the best possible exemplar. There is no room for stubbornness. You know what should stay and what should go. Recognize the nuggets you need, take them, and store them no matter the package it comes from. Oh, and if it is verbal, the tone doesn’t matter either. The person it’s coming from has probably said what you are hearing for the first time 1000 times and has no room for couth anymore. Get over it.
In closing, for those who were looking for a mentor please consider building your own. One person who fits exactly what you need will be hard to find. Taking the best traits of people and information will be your best bet. The great part is you are building a person that you’ll feel is impossible to find in one person. You’ll be so thankful for everyone who contributed in creating this mystical person. One day it will get even better because one day you’ll look in the mirror and realize the person you built is now you. Every positive trait. Every amazing experience. Every great blog. Hours of instructional videos. The void of all information that was not helpful. The ability to be that mentor for someone that you never had. Oh, and you will not be willing to give mentorship to just anybody. This is why mentors are so hard to find but maybe, just maybe, you can give them a piece. 💪🏾
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Food for thought…. You do the dishes!
