Everyone mentors everyone. It’s true! This isn’t so much an activity as it is a mindset. The mindset of perpetual learning, considering, and evolving.
This might sound corny or trite to some of you but it’s undeniably true. Everyone you deal with in a day is teaching you something about life, business, growth, or yourself.
There is never a valueless interaction between two people
To be sure, some of these interactions are less valuable than others. You must choose wisely with whom it is you choose to interact and why.
And sometimes, what it is that you learn is something that is hard to hear. But there’s always something of worth to be learned.
Like I said. This is a mindset. A way of looking at life.
The lessons are not always overt and obvious.
Sometimes, you’re so excited you miss the deeper aspects of what just happened.
And sometimes, they are based in such negativity that you won’t see the positive value for years to come.
That brings in introspection. Want to evolve, grow and succeed? Learn to be introspective. Examine yourself. Be retrospective too. Examine your past. Your answers lie within those two acts.
Back to now. Although my site is about succeeding as a leader, it’s overall base is one of evolution and growth as a person.
My perspective on life causes me to do these things with an eye on being a stronger leader at all times.
But to become that leader, I must first become a person who deserves the title of leader.
Can’t be the other way around. Not in any healthy sense, anyhow.
There are always three things happening when you engage another
- One, you’re getting done whatever it is that brought you together in the first place
- Two, you both are changing because of the event itself
- Three, you’re having your toolbox filled with more tools that will allow you to grow and evolve
You’ll only use that last part somewhere down the road. With practice, that road gets shorter every time.
Apply yourself to becoming aware of these three events happening, no matter who it is you’re speaking to.
You’ll find the frustration of not getting what you want, when you want it, will become replaced with the satisfaction of getting what you need, when the time is right.
This will result in a much more deeply satisfying and effective life.
And you will become a strong mentor to others and someone others look up to, in the process.
The photographer of this post’s featured photo: Hamza El-Falah
