Monday 19 December 2011

Mentor or Menthol?

Oprah Winfrey is my Mentor, Christiano Ronaldo is my Mentor, Barrack Obama is my Mentor, Kenneth Hagin is my Mentor...such comments and many more is what we hear from the mouth of the Nigerian youth these days? Which leaves me wondering what exactly they have "A Mentor or a Menthol"?
A Menthol as we all know is an organic compound naturally occurring in mint plants....which, because of it`s cooling effects is used in products meant to relieve skin irritation, sore throat, or nasal congestion.
A Mentor on the other hand is an adviser, counselor, coach, guide, tutor, teacher, guru, and friend whom you can trust for valuable perspective. A conversation with one’s mentor should be uplifting because it helps bring clarity and a sense of new possibilities to the protégé. A mentor provides listening and sounding board advice in a casual manner. They go out of their way to help protégés set important goals and foster the development of skills to reach the goals. In a formal mentoring relationship, the mentors have an ongoing commitment to help protégés reach these goals in a planned manner over certain period of time.
I`ll like you to look out for the embolden words and watch out for them in the person you claim to be your Mentor. Mentors are torchlights meant to help us walk through a situation that looks/seems dark to us (a situation we have never experienced before or one we had a bad experience in). If it makes you feel good naming someone as your "Mentor" in the presence of friends and colleagues without the person having a direct and personal influence on your life, then I`m sorry to tell you that all you have is a Menthol and nor a Mentor...cos as we already stated a Menthol is appreciated mostly for it`s cooling effect on it`s protégé.
If you are still in doubt or at a crossroad here, I`ll like you to ask yourself this question in your closet with a truthful answer:
  1. Does any direct relationship exist between me and my "so-called" mentor?
  2. What`s the foundation of my relationship with my "so-called" mentor?
  3. When was the last time I contacted my "so-called" mentor?
  4. Have I ever heed the advice of my "so-called" mentor?
  5. What profit has my relationship with my "so-called" mentor brought to me?
  6. Do I ever contact my "so-called" mentor wheneva I`m in a dilemma?
  7. Do I believe in my "so-called" mentor to successfully guide me?
All these questions and many more that will pop into your head as u read this piece "if properly/truthfully" answered will tell you if truly it`s a "Menthol" you`ve got or a "Mentor".
The truth is, some of us have true but wrong mentors, it will do you a lotta favour to ask yourself this question to be sure about your status and that of your Mentor:
  1. What have I gained from the experience with my "so-called" mentor?
  2. What has been the biggest disappointment, if any, with my "so-called" mentor?
  3. What makes this relationship with my "so-called" mentor work?

Finally, you wanna choose a mentor, only God can truthfully direct you into choosing the right person cos the truth is, He has appointed people in strategic phases of your life to help guide you into fulfillment. A discovery of those people at the appointed time is what makes a stress-free and colourful destiny. However these questions can help shapen your orientation of who to look out for as a Mentor:
What have I done in my past, say until a year ago? What are my strengths and weaknesses?What is my current situation? What do I do today/this year? Do I like what I am doing?What is my future? Am I doing the work that is leading me to what my future should be?What am I currently involved with that utilizes my experience outside of work?What activities do I do related to community or being a good citizen?

I think I need to rest my pen here, give it a thought today and make the necessary changes! Peace!

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