I am sure you have heard the term ‘mentor’ before maybe at work or school, maybe you have been wondering what they do exactly and if you need you one.
Well, firstly a mentor is someone that is experienced in a particular field and can give advice or train someone else who is less experienced. A mentor is sometimes someone that is older than you but it doesn’t always have to be. They are someone you can learn from and hold you accountable to any goals you set yourself!
You can have a mentor for lots of different reasons depending on what you feel you want some support in. It could be educational, spiritual, career related, personal, health related, financial, anything really! They are usually people that may have faced similar challenges as you or are have a good knowledge of something specific so that they can give you the right practical advice. Who better to learn from than someone who has been there and done that?
Mentorship can even be found in the bible! In the bible there many examples of this kind of relationship including Jesus and his disciples, Paul and Timothy, Elijah and Elisha, and many more! The fathers/elders teach the sons and the sons build on the knowledge given to them and pass it on.
When looking for a mentor there are a few qualities you should look out for in the person such as humility, honesty, reliability, and a good leader. If you don’t know much about the person you can ask other people that may know them a bit more about them. Do your research!
So how do you find a mentor? You can find them at networking events, on the internet like Linkedin or YouTube, but be EXTRA careful with finding people online and always take someone with you if you are meeting them. You could also ask fellow colleagues, family or friends for recommendations too!
It’s helpful in most areas of life to get a second perceptive on things. Sometimes we will require a neutral person like a mentor to give us guidance and support. They can even help to speed up your progression and growth. For example having a spiritual mentor especially if you are a new Christian can be beneficial. You may think you know a lot already but a mentor can help open widen your understanding and knowledge, and they can also identify your weaknesses and strengths
Most importantly, remember this person is human just like you. Don’t assume they will have all the answers or all the time in the world. And remember that a mentor isn’t a counsellor so if you have more serious issues to talk through perhaps a trained counsellor would be a better option to begin with.
Most importantly of all, when Jesus died he gave us the greatest helper – The Holy Spirit! This is accessible to us at all hours of every day, how amazing is that!? We are never alone.
