If you've ever gotten career advice, I would bet that you’ve been told to find a mentor. It seems that 20-somethings everywhere are eagerly looking for someone to latch onto and learn all there is to learn about being successful. Don’t get me wrong – we all want to find our mentor equivalent of “the one”, but I’m here to tell you that being the mentee isn't the only way to benefit from such a relationship.
This past summer, I had the incredible opportunity
of mentoring one of our interns, through an official mentoring program.
Although I hope that I was able to pass on valuable knowledge to him, I know
that the lessons I learned from him are ones that I’ll keep with me for the
long run.
Here are three life lessons my mentee taught
me:
As a going away
present before I left to Mexico, my mentee gave me a journal and insisted that
I write about my adventures. Around the same time, I started seeing article
after article on why writing is so great for you. I’m starting to believe Paulo Coelho in that the universe really conspires in our favor, so I took this as a
sign and started writing.
I stumbled upon an
article urging that we incorporate writing into our daily morning routine.
Although I quickly learned that this “lengthy morning ritual” didn't quite fit
my lifestyle, I did however adjust it in a way that worked for me. Some entries
were scatter-brained with no real meaning, others were insightful and eye
opening; regardless I wrote it all down.
The benefits were
incredible! Writing helped me learn about myself and my intentions, as well as
release stress. Making writing a habit gave me the courage to finally take the
plunge and launch my blog. As Faisal Hoque perfectly put it "writing has allowed me to
find myself when I found myself looking for answers.”
Takeaway: Write; write often; write about anything
at all. At the very least you’ll be able to look back at different stages of
your life and laugh at yourself. More than likely, you’ll get so much more out
of it than that. Plus, it’s cheaper than therapy.
Through many years of
out-of-my-comfort-zone experiences and lots and lots of practice, I've been
able to break out of my shell, but by nature, I can be a pretty shy person.
When I first started my “real world” job, I made an effort to meet people
around the office. A simple “hey I’m new here, can we be friends?” always got a
chuckle out of people and was a fun way to make new lunch buddies. For reasons
that I can’t really understand, that stopped. Maybe I got comfortable with my
lunch clique, or maybe the fact that I wasn't so new anymore made it feel a
little awkward. Either way, I knew I wasn't doing everything that I could to
meet new people at work; I was reverting back to my comfort zone.
My mentee was the
complete opposite. During our weekly meetings, he would always ask who I
thought he should meet, at all different levels of the company, and he would
just email them. Just like that -- hey lets meet up. I’d love to learn about
what you do -- like it was no big deal. People most always said yes.
These meetings were a
great opportunity to learn from others’ experiences and to connect with people
who were clearly willing to help him grow. Plus, it never hurts to have execs
know your name.
So what’s the lesson here: Ask someone to
lunch, or coffee, or whatever, and learn about what they do; make a new friend.
Allow yourself to be open to new experiences and connections. More often than
not, people will happily accept your invite. And for the very few that flat out
refuse – you’re probably better off without them in your network, anyway.
Find Your Panama
During Chicago Ideas
Week, Mara Brock Akil said that “we are too busy getting the to-do list done
that we forget to listen to what our spirits want.” When we were kids we wanted
to be firefighters, astronauts, teachers, vets - because deep down, even in the
innocence of our childhood, even without realizing it, we aspired to help
others; to make the world a better place.
At some point,
between the mundane routines and stressful deadlines, the eight to five that
really isn't eight to five at all, we let this desire go. We forgive ourselves
by saying that if only we had more time, we would help. If only we had more
resources, we would give back. This urge to help others that we've had since our
childhood, this desire to make the world
a better place, turns into a sad case of should've, could’ve, would’ve as
we chuckle at such a “cliché”.
My mentee taught me
that it is time we stop wishing we
could help and actually start doing something
about it. He didn't just hope that one day he could give back. He rid himself
of excuses and traveled to rural Panama to provide educational workshops on
establishing a community banking cooperative. He reinforced to me that each of
us has a unique way to make the world a better place, even if it’s one small act
of kindness at a time.
How you can help today: It’s so easy to get caught up in our daily
routines; I know I’m guilty of it too. But every single one of us can find our
own way in which we can give back.
If you’re artsy or
love music, get involved in a local Boys and Girls Club and promote the importance
of the arts. If business is your thing, volunteer at a local high school and expose
kids to different career opportunities. Give a public speaking workshop. Play
dominoes and make friends at a home for the elderly. Help a homeless shelter run
more efficiently and reduce excess costs in order to serve more people in the
community. Whatever your strength, whatever your passion, there is someone out
there that can benefit from your help. Every one of us can find our very own
Panama.
What we look for in a mentor-mentee
relationship varies vastly from person to person. Through this experience, I
learned that it is crucial to surround ourselves with curious and motivated
people that will challenge us, no matter their age or the stage of their career.
Even if you haven’t found your perfect mentor, taking time to show someone the
ropes can end up teaching you so much more than you ever imagined.
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