Why Mentoring Matters
“A mentor is someone who allows you to see the hope inside yourself.” — Oprah Winfrey
“A mentor is someone who allows you to see the hope inside yourself.” — Oprah Winfrey
“Nothing great was ever accomplished alone.”
Whatever it is that you want to accomplish in life, a mentor will kick start you on the path to achieve it. By far, the most challenging part of accomplishing anything is getting started. We all have dreams and goals, but until we move to act on them, they will always remain just a dream or a goal.
A mentor is someone whom you can count on for honest and reliable advice. Who can spare time for you when you need him. A mentor is your support in difficult decisions. A mentor cannot be someone who is not with you now or out of your access. Your easy access to your Mentor differentiates him from your inspiration.
Mentors can provide a spark or simple guidance path to push you to take that first step in accomplishing your goal. When you have a mentor, you learn from someone who has already arrived at where you want to be. They know precisely what it takes to get there and what sacrifices need to be made. An experience is an invaluable tool. No one can purchase expertise; it can only be earned or shared. A great mentor will share their experience with you to help you achieve your goal in the best possible way they know-how.
Humility is the way to find a mentor.
I will start by sharing the story of my lifelong inspiration and my Mentor. I can come up with many names who have inspired me and helped me be at the spot where I am today, but there is one name that is always on my mind, and that is the name of my friend, Noor Fatima; she is Younger than me, but she is my Mentor, friend, sister, and family.
I value her honesty, support, love, and approachability more than someone else’s experience in my network. She might be even more than a mentor to me. But there is one thing sure; whenever I have any difficult situation or decision in front of me, her name is already standing at the top of my mind. I have talked to her about personal issues, professional advice, and any other sort of problem you can imagine, and she has never let me down. She has provided me all the love and support that I could only dream of it. So I have never felt the need to look anywhere else for advice. Whenever I need someone to talk about anything, she is the only person I can share my and everything with. For me, she is my family, friend, sister, and everything. She is a Home for me, and I admire her for her humility, diligence, and unwavering purpose. She has shown me how to be a more effective human being. I only hope that one day I’ll be able to do something equally valuable for her as she has done for me.
I am not living with my parents since my childhood. It was a tough time for me as living away from my parents is challenging. So, it all had a terrible effect on my personality, confidence, and education. I am a very introverted person, so I never discussed whatever I was going through with anyone. I started searching for someone stranger with whom I can share everything. Luckily, I came across her social media page one day where she shared so many people’s stories, strengths, and weaknesses stories. That impressed me. She is a storyteller, and she interviews people and posts their stories on Facebook pages. I was so impressed by her, and I thought I would contact her and share my story with her.
And then later I realized it was the one right decision of my life ever. I contacted her on messenger, and she asked for my contact number and called me. I shared my problems with her and told her everything I was going through at that time. Later, she was my only constant support who helped me to get out of that difficult period. We meet after one long year as my home city is far away from Lahore. During this period of one year, we contacted through phone calls and texts only.
Her encouragement and support helped me to complete my degree with a good CGPA. She also insisted my family allow me to complete my studies and then establish my career. Whenever I have any difficulties, problems regarding my personal life or professional career, she always advises me and suggests the right way to deal with them. She supports me in every matter, and when she felt I am going wrong, she pointed it out to me, suggests me the right way, and gives advice just like my elder sister.
I am glad that I have an honest person in my life. She makes me realize that I am not worthless and don’t need to depend on others for anything, that ups and downs are part of life, but giving up is not the only solution to all your problems. Life is fair if you deal with it with patience and honesty. I am lucky to have such a wise and loving mentor in my life. Today, I am doing MPhil from Punjab University Lahore and becoming support for other people around me. It is only because of my Mentor’s constant motivation, love, support, and belief in me.
A mentor helps you decide by giving fruitful advice, and humility and courage are the only way to strengthen your Mentor’s network. I hope one day I’ll make her proud, and I wish I could become a Mentor like her.
“A lot of people put pressure on themselves and think it will be way too hard for them to live out their dreams. Mentors are there to say, ‘Look, it’s not that tough. It’s not as hard as you think. Here are some guidelines and things I have gone through to get to where I am in my career.’” — Joe Jonas
