The Gift of a Mentor
Marriam-Webster defines Mentor as someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person.
I have been very fortunate to have a handful of true mentors in my life. I am grateful for the time they spent with me, leading me by the hand to be the best I could be. The reality is, the definition does not do a true mentor justice. Mentors are so much more that helpers and advice givers. They give the gift of belief and trust in others, invaluable perseverance and wisdom. True mentors see the soul of others and dig right in and feed it.
Young and struggling, I found confidence and strength as a person through the support and belief from a mentor who was unconditional and taught me how to swim in the big sea of life. I have been fortunate to have had many people in my life see and believe in me as I grew into the person I am today. I am a firm believer that everyone needs mentoring in their life. From bosses to college professors to seniors, in all walks of life there is someone who cares about you and sees your greatness.
The drive and desire in me was constantly stirred by people with a passion for giving the gift of mentorship. I remember landing my first corporate job and feeling excited and scared. In a moments time, I found myself taking college courses and being pushed to climb this ladder that had been in the distance and I absolutely feared. Without the support and encouragement of a mentor, this would have felt impossible. He saw my strength and pushed me to my limits, and then pushed a little harder.
Today marks my 8th Article posted with sarasotapost.com and I am awestruck by the mentorship I have received from Sande Caplin. From the morning surprise of my first published article, he has been a gift of inspiration. He calls it like he sees it with the deepest heart and desire for my achievements. When I babble in nervousness and inexperience, he makes sense of what I am saying and makes it all clear. Without his mentoring, I would be flopping around like a fish out of water. Thank you for being my ocean to swim freely in Sande…
Mentoring is a gift like no other. It is free of judgement, criticism and cynicism. Being that for another is something they will live forever with. Truly touching hearts, being authentic and giving support is a passion that drove me to become a coach. It’s not about creating new, it’s about finding the magic that is already there. In the Co-Active Coaching program, one of the first things I was taught was to do is hold everybody in a belief that they are naturally creative, resourceful and whole. “You mean EVERYONE?”, was my initial reaction. I will admit, I thought this was a stretch. As I grew to learn and understand the deeper meaning behind this, it became very easy to walk this talk. The reality is that my mentors had already done this with me. And I had been doing this for others. We were to busy looking forward and building legacies, to worry about someones faults or weakness was the last thing on our minds! What a gift!
I wonder what world would be like if I had not had these mentors in my life?
Fortunately, I will never know!
Are you ready to try on a new way of being?
Contact me at info@tuneintolife.com. 
Your first one is on me because I believe in you!
About Jennifer Adams:
Heal, fuel, feed, repeat…
Here I am taking the journey from corporate life to purpose life. I have climbed the ladder of life in parenting, work and self-development. What once was a woman who lived the “should” life, I became inspired to live the purposeful life. Always finding myself being the one people called for help or answers, I decided to pursue it further. With a suitcase of wisdom and carry-on of wit, I am traveling to the land of passion. I rock at bringing out the inner awesome in others. It was always there in various stages and capacities but I pushed it aside to do what I was “supposed” to do. The gates have opened and I am off…to chase the dream of breaking down the walls and limiting beliefs that keep others from truly showing up for this thing called life.
A little background about me
From single mom at 18 to Vice President of a Corporation at 38, I spent 20 years healing, fueling, and feeding. I dropped out of high school 2 months before graduation, pregnant, and got my GED. I went to work full time at various jobs always working to make ends meet. I have what I like to call a “Custom College Degree.” I took more classes than what it took to get a degree, just not in the traditional curriculum determined by the schools. I have accounting, business and information technology education that I needed to get the job done, do it well and move up. It worked! I am now married with two awesome kids and I have no regrets. I love working out and living a healthy life style. My dream is to have a log house on the water with tons of property for flowers, vegetables and English Bulldogs and you know what, I WILL have it! Stay Tuned….