According to Stringer’s (2016) article titled “The life-changing power of mentors”, mentors are important especially when people face new phases of their life or career that need the acquisition of new skills, knowledge or attitudes. Additionally, members can help people decide what they want to do, how they ought to change to accomplish their goals, as well as how they can take advantage of the existing opportunities to achieve their goals or turn their lives around (Harvard, 2020). Therefore, mentors are positive forces and are often people with great achievements.
When I was a teenager, I did not have much interest in education. After all, they said that most of the successful people in the United States, especially those in the technology industry did not complete college. Again, most of the movie stars did not go to college, but they had far more decent lives than some people I knew in the neighborhood. Sometimes I only went to school because my parents expected me to be in school. If I were to be given a choice then, I would have dropped out. In fact, sometimes I did not reach school and if I did, I would sneak out and spend time with other unruly students watching movies, and hanging around casinos. Most of the people did not care much that we were school-going children.
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For the better part of high school, I did not know what I wanted to do in life. I was so vulnerable to negative peer influence that I started picking bad habits. Some peers were using drugs and it seemed so cool. I watched as my life slowly lost direction to the point of being almost trapped in addiction. Although I wanted to find happiness, I did not find it. I discovered that people who use drugs or are social deviants are actually miserable people who are always thinking about abandoning these habits only that they do not know how to do it.
One day after coming from a drinking spree in the morning, I met a wealthy neighbor jogging around the neighborhood. When we met, he stopped. I felt guilty. He, however, invited me to his home in the evening. I was actually planning to ignore the invitation but a voice deep inside me pushed me to turn up. The first impression of the interior of his house portrayed he was a meticulous and organized man. One large photo mounted on the wall indicated he was a prominent businessman. Most importantly, he startled me when he said he had been watching me all through, and thought I was wasting myself away. He talked about the potential I had, and suggested that what I needed to do was to organize myself.
Two days after the meeting, I was jogging alongside the prominent businessman. But as we jogged, we talked. He told me about the importance of education, as well as setting goals and being extraordinary. I began to set achievable goals, such as completing assignments in time, at least reading a book every week, and exercising daily. Through my newfound mentor, I began to attend conferences, and met important people. I realized that my life had been almost ruined because of the lack of exposure and a person to give me the right advice. I have a burning desire to pursue my studies to the highest level and probably enter the corporate world. I am now more organized, with a positive outlook on life. I know the days ahead are bright, thanks to my mentor. I also plan to mentor other young people, who probably think they cannot make anything out of their lives.
References
Harvard. (2020). “Dr. Mentor Talks About the Power of Mentoring” retrieved from https://sites.sph.harvard.edu/wmy/dr-mentor/
Stringer, H. (2016). “The life-changing power of mentors” retrieved from https://www.apa.org/monitor/2016/06/mentors
