Mentor me, please!

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Family & Home

This is a monthly department dealing with how you can create a better home or family life, including some thoughts about how to better raise and empower cats, dogs, children, and people which are part of our future.

Mentor me, please!
Who needs a mentor?
Every person needs help from time to time. Someone who has been there before may offer not only a shoulder to cry on, but often valuable advice and insight. If you ask great athletes or other performers, they will probably admit that a coach had a lot to do with their performance and progress. Everyone needs a coach or mentor to assist from time to time in getting out of the mud or rut, onto a well-lit path, and throughout the journey of life. I am reminded as I write these thoughts about the "Footprints in the sand" story, where the disbeliever asks God why he forsook him, only to find out that the footprints in the sand where God's when He carried the disbeliever. Many a youth who becomes delinquent commit crimes to get recognized, only because he/she doesn't know how to create his/her future. In my years of teaching sports, I can easily spot a child who comes from a family structure that lacks love or discipline. Many times that youth by his/her facial expressions and body language silently cries out "Help me, love me, show me the way!" Every person has a need for a mentor. I believe that part of the reason that society breaks down is due to lack of role models and mentors to help us discover, explore and manage our lives and our future.
Who can be your mentor?
Before you ask that question, find out why you need one. What is it you need help with? That purpose or goal will clarify who can be your mentor. Select a mentor that is preferably older, more capable, or experienced, that you can trust and whose advice you can belive in. For instance if you want to become a classical musician, find a mentore that plays or has played classical music. A mentor should assist you (or if it is your guardian or friend that you need help for) with realizing your path and preparing a course to reach the determined goal.
Where do I find a mentor?
You can find mentors anywhere in the marketplace or community. Schools, churches, businesses, professional and community organizations offer assistance in various fields where you need help. Use the principle, "Ask and it shall be given to you." Ask around for mentors for your particular purpose.
What can a mentor help me with?
A mentor can help you with many aspects of your growth and progress toward improvement of your performance. Here are a few things that a mentor can assist you with:

Recognize your talents and abilities. Helping you determine your strenghts and weaknesses by taking an inventory skills test or evaluation.
Help you see what your problems are. A trusted and loyal friend is the best psychologist for most of us.
Make you feel wanted, loved, part of a greater purpose, and provide you with the reason and desire to love and help others, and by that feel a need to progress.
Help you with creating a plan of action and monitor your progress.
Determining resources that you need to fulfill your goals.
Point out errors and defects that you need to overcome or improve on to achieve your goals.
Become a comforting soul to talk to, when you feel like the proverbial man pressed against and looking out through a self-created imaginary window.
Help youth stay out of harmful or criminal activities.

So why not look for that mentor for yourself and perhaps your loved ones. Children really need mentors, but so do parents. If you want a better future, a mentor can help you along the path you've chosen.

Lars G. Harrison can be reached at lars_harrison@yahoo.com.