Photo Credit: Riccardo Annandale
Growing up I never heard the word ‘mentor’ unless it was someone’s surname. I dare say that our culture didn’t believe or know the power there is in having a mentor.
As an adult I got introduced to this word so many times and in my opinion a mentor is someone who has the life you want one day for yourself – someone who coaches and instructs you, someone who inspires and motivates you. They have lived the way you wish to live.
Looking back, even though I didn’t have the word I knew I had to find someone to look up too.
I’d start with my grandma, she taught me to love no matter what, love hard and people will feel they lost out when they lose you from their lives.
Then my parents. My mom taught me to give, give unselfishly and you will receive abundantly. My dad has such a strong financial mind and there’s not a month that goes by when I don’t ask for some sort of financial advice or hear his voice in my head when I make financial decisions. My parents are the first two people I know that live their life either debt free or with good debt.
I’ve had others here and there but there’s a special couple – who as a couple, as business partners, as parents, as friends, as teachers and as mentors, I really wanted to emulate them and I modelled my 5yr/10yr/15yr plan on their lives. I got it so right that I even have 2 boys like they have.
I’ve achieved most of my goals I set for myself and life looks pretty good right now as I find myself living on an island with my little family and this was because of the mentors I had in my life.
I might not have gone out and looked for a mentor but I did find some people I wanted to be like – my grandma, my parents, this special couple – and they all inspired me to be better than I was yesterday and live my life to the full.
We all need mentors but we can all be mentors too.
If you relate with the above, leave a comment, would love to hear from you.
