Importance of a Mentor

Think back and imagine your first day at school, college, university or your internship/ work; what do these images have in common? That’s right, an out of place, disoriented and scared you! Simple things that seem trivial now, used to make you shake at the thought of it the first time around.

"I think mentors are important and I don't think anybody makes it in the world without some form of mentorship. Nobody makes it alone. Nobody has made it alone. And we are all mentors to people even when we don't know it."—Oprah Winfrey

I have often found myself stuck in dilemma on several occasions regarding my future. The thing that helped me get through these situations and prepare me for the choices that I made was my mentor. As a mentor has probably faced most of your dilemmas and has experienced the outcomes thereof, they are able to provide you with the complete picture of the results of your choices. Therefore, making you able to step in the right direction and avoid any mistakes.

Mentors can provide a spark, or simple path of guidance to push you to take that first step in accomplishing your goal.

Women in particular are in great need for mentoring. Especially career oriented women. They frequently face cultural barriers and discrimination in moving into leadership positions, and it is very helpful to have experienced role models and mentors who can provide guidance and encouragement. 

Things to keep in mind while choosing your mentor:-

1. Look around for someone who has actually experienced what they would teach.
2. Find out if they have the same values and priorities that you have. 
3. Mentoring is time consuming, so make sure that they have the interest in mentoring you?
4. Make sure they can be trusted with your inner secrets and desires.
5. Make sure that this person has your best interest at heart.
6. The most important of them all is; a mentor should have good communication power that would be able to ignite the fire in you.

The relationship of a mentor and his mentee is very special in personal or professional sphere. Good mentors can help create good leaders, and good leaders become mentors for the next generation.

Every day, women all over the world audaciously take on initiatives to positively impact their families, their communities and their countries.  Affecting change isn’t easy and often requires enormous sacrifice, but we should all strive to make the world a better place.

Here is what a mentor can do for you:-

1. Build your confidence to make “That move”.
2. They will be a “Go to” resource for future fixes.
3. They help in building your network base.
4. They are a great source of motivation.
5. They provide you with a specialist’s guidance.

Take advantage of opportunities that may come your way.  It is not always easy to start on a new path, but it can lead to incredible opportunities to make a difference. A good mentor will help you in realising this fact.

One good mentor can be more informative than a college education and more valuable than a decade’s income. Agree?