Whose your coach or mentor?
This question has arisen from something that occurred this weekend. My man had some worries and he was fretting so he spoke to his mentor today. Now for those who don't know my husband was a tattoo apprentice, he is now a artist not apprentice but he still works with and for his mentor so still has the relationship. When I came home the worry worn man I left this morning was gone, he talked through his problem and asked for advice and then the weight was lifted by someone who had a good grasp of the situation. Not everyone is lucky enough to have a mentor in the formal sense like my husband does but we all make our own mentors in life. For some people it's their parent who acts as a confidant and guide, for others it may be a best friend who you talk through problems with to find your resolution. Many of us have a life partner we share with and work as a team to make decisions and finally some of us have work relationships which we can use, perhaps a professional we admire or aspire too. To be honest I think in life we can move between mentors and coaches finding the right person at the right time to help us. But to do this we have to open our hearts and minds to the concept we can seek advice and guidance, we are not alone and that a problem shared is indeed halved. Many of my friends have a religious mentor, perhaps even the person they pray or meditate too, but getting these relationships is probably what marks the difference between a child an a adult. As a teenager we think we are too independent to seek advice and as we mature we start to reflect on the value of talking things through. So why am I mentor minded this week, well apart from my man I am meeting someone on Wednesday for a 1-1 so I can talk through her professional journey to help me during a crucial time in my career when decisions are so important. But what I have to remember is to make sure I share this new knowledge and put it into my learning, as that's the difference between a sounding board and a mentor. So my advice is find yourself a mentor, be it formal or informal, spiritual or social, it will make a difference.