Mentors

This may be a bit less related to our business, and more to my own professional development… but you might find it interesting.

I have been reading a book titled “Wrecked” written by Jeff Goins.  I discovered this author about a year ago when i purchased a copy of another book written by Jeff titled  “The Art of Work”.    I thoroughly enjoyed that book, gleaning so many wise insights into work, and fortifying my gut insight that life as we live it is not necessarily how it is intended.  It was a natural next step to look at other titles he has written.   “Wrecked” was written several years ago, and the title intrigued me ” Wrecked – When a broken world slams into your comfortable life.”

Not everyone will resonate with the title, but i did.  I just knew someone else has experienced traumatic upheavel of their life to write a title like that.  so i bought the book and dove in.  I must say some books are read easily – cover to cover in an evening.  Others take thought, ponder, rumination.  Wrecked has been like that for me.

But at one point he was talking about mentors.  A big buzz word in our age – mentor.  And if you have read any business journals or hung out in corporate america there is a sense that you seek out and hire someone in this capacity.  I loved how counter to that thought were the words in wrecked.

Mentors are all around us… informal, sometimes it is that person that comes into your life for a season, and if we are teachable and aware we will see them, embrace what they offer, and grow.  But in our life there may be a variety of people that pass through our life teaching us, coaching us, seeing us through something that we otherwise could not have made it through.  Mentors are volunteers, willing participants in other people’s lives, to offer solutions, changes, challenges.  And in some way we become the mentors as we grow into our lives.

The chapter had me thinking of all of those people who have offered some nugget, or hugged me as i wondered if there would ever come a ray of hope to our life.  It was those kind smiles, gentle encouraging suggestions, or clear education in areas i had no exposure to.

Are you looking for a mentor?  look around you.  There may be someone that is not as obvious to you, but someone that is there to walk you through something if you have the eyes to see them, and the courage to risk.