This is the second of two posts about the importance of a mentor. If you haven’t read Part 1, I encourage you to start there. Here I urgently want to offer four more reasons why I am convinced that the best way to STRETCH and grow is to seek out a mentor:
4. Encourage (Mentors can encourage your heart)
Discouragement is a disease that is epidemic in our world. There are many issues to be discouraged about. Without someone injecting courage into us consistently, we may give way to fear and stop reaching for the stars. Human nature pulls on one end of the rubber band, while a great mentor will hold the other end in the place of your dreams and visions. This stretching of the rubber band creates great energy in your life as you are in tension between two realities. The one that is, and the one that could and should be. Without encouragement the latter will give way to the more comfortable former. With encouragement dreams do come true. Without encouragement we may act like a hot air balloon, deflating slowly towards an unwanted crash.
5. Tell (Mentors can tell your story)
Believe it or not, the world still operates on a “who you know” model. Relationships are still a primary reason for success and open doors into new opportunities. I would go so far to suggest that not much that lasts occurs outside of relationships. We were created for relationships. Therefore, you need someone to tell your story. A great mentor can endorse you like no one else. It’s humbling to receive favor and wide open doors because of the relationship I share with the mentors around me. Mentors know your past story and also the one you want to write. Our job is to give them a story to tell.
6. Calm (Mentors can calm your fears)
A mentor is a lot of things, but one of the primary roles of mentor is to be a voice of reason and peace when things seem bleak. Life can be tough and days can get hard, but we when there is someone in place who you can lean into for peace and comfort, nothing will be too overwhelming. This one is slightly related to encouragement. However, calming our fears is about holding us at the ground we’ve already gained while encouraging us is about taking new ground. Great mentors bring perspective to the situation. It mentions 365 times in the Bible “do not fear.” That’s enough for one each day of the year. Fear will rob you of your destiny. A mentor can help withdraw fear and deposit faith.
7. Help (Mentors can help you succeed)
“Help, I need somebody, Help, not just anybody.” The song has other intentions, but the line fits perfectly with the final part of Seven Ways a Mentor Can STRETCH You. Sometimes our hearts grow calloused towards success. We are more comfortable with failure. A great mentor opens his life, his home, and his wallet to assure that you continue traveling towards the destiny God has purposed for you. It may not be comfortable, but it will be worth it. A great mentor helps when everyone else says: “that’s too bad.”
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