This Daily Prompt prompt prompted us promptly to reveal something that it asked us to reveal, which was very revealing.
Have you ever had a mentor? What was the greatest lesson you learned from him or her?
I discovered a very useful piece of information/advice long ago, though I haven’t always followed it. It’s simple:
You don’t have to learn everything the hard way.
As a result of this advice, when I really think about it I realize that EVERYONE is my mentor. Literally everyone. There is something valuable and/or profound to be learned or gained from everyone I run across, including children and total idiots. How to be, and how not to be. How to think, and how not to think. How to be in control, and how to let go and be free. How to work, and how to play. And all sorts of other aspects of life. I would just listen to people tell their stories, good and bad, and assimilate that into my own life.
It also comes in handy when you hear people having a conversation that might not interest you in the slightest, but should. For example, when your wife and daughter discuss clothes, or when a song comes on that you dislike but your wife loves, or when your boss is talking to his boss (your boss two levels above) about something. It might be boring and useless after all – or, it might be so incredibly useful that you will wonder why you didn’t start doing it sooner.
It’s not exactly living vicariously through other people. It’s empathizing with them, using their experiences to help you determine if what they are talking about is something that you want to add to your own life, or use to enhance someone else’s life. But if you think about it, everyone around you can, at various times, be your mentor. Listen and pay attention. You’ll see.
Edward Hotspur
Related articles
- Daily Prompt: Mentor Me | Only the Best | Loading…
- Daily Prompt: Mentor Me | Musical Foodie Love
- Daily Prompt: Mentor Me Birdie, Poetry to ee « Lines by Linda
- Daily Prompt: Mentor Me « JUkk
- Daily Prompt: Mentor Me « A YoungEmt’s Blog
- Daily Prompt: Mentor Me | cdvisions inspirations
- Mentor Me | The Nameless One
- Mr. Bales, Me, and The Sixth Grade | The Jittery Goat
- Daily Post: Mentor Me | tel-uh-vizh-uh-ner-ee
- From the impossible | Phelio a Random Post a Day
- Enlighten, Guide and Motivate | Misifusa’s Blog
- My guide… | Hope* the happy hugger
- Daily Prompt: Mentor Me « Chronicles of an Anglo Swiss
- Daily Prompt: Mentor Me – Vinay Sir | My.Vivid.Visions
- Daily Prompt: Lead, and I Follow « One Starving Activist
- Daily Prompt: Mentor Me | Daddy’s Naughty Little Girl
- Daily Prompt: Mentor Me « Talker Huge
- No Ordinary Teacher | Through the Peacock’s Eyes
- motherofnine9
- Daily Prompt: Mentor Me | Basically Beyond Basic
- Daily Prompt: Mentor Me – waldina
- The nominees are: drum roll please… « theseeker
- Daily Prompt: Mentor Me | A Journey to a Healthier Living
- Daily Prompt: Mentor Me | بيسان
- There’s always someone who knows more!! | Melanie Ryding – Ryding2Health BLOG
- Daily Prompt: Mmmm, Mento’s | Sammy’s Moleskine
- Daily Prompt: Mentor Me …to listen, to be positive … | Fasting, Food and other musings by determined34
- Daily Prompt: You Mentor; Me Protege « From the C-Sweet
- Daily Prompt: Mentor Me – In Honor of My Mentor « Cytherean Dreams
- Can you have the opposite of a mentor? « Being Special
- Daily Prompt: Mentor Me « A Western Buddhist’s Travels
- My Mentor | A Sign Of Life
- Daily Prompt: Mentor Me | The Blogging Path
- Remembering Rusty | Wiley’s Wisdom
- Daily Prompt: Mentor Me, or Lack Thereof | The Wondering College Student
- Imagine Having a Mentor « Now Writing Every Day
- The Smartest Man I Know – 19 Days | fromrigstoriches
- A rule to live by | Angel Frouk
- ambikarani
- Daily Prompt: Mentor Me | Learning, Running, and Writing
My father is my greatest mentor. He told me once, “You need to learn how to stop getting into pissing contests with people. Figure out what it is that you want from the situation and make it happen.”
Good advice. It’s really about: what will I get if I win, and what do I give up if I lose? Some arguments cost you nothing to lose – so lose them!
I have a hard time walking away from someone when they are trying to mess with me. I cannot stand down when being challenged. And yet, I am submissive. What gives?
I’m not sure you’re submissive. Also, I’m pretty sure you can stand up for yourself, and you won’t agree with things that are factually wrong.
Why don’t you think I am submissive? Just curious. I know I am, so it’s no big deal to me. My husband thinks your are somewhat submissive to me which I find funny.
I said I’m not sure that you are, not that I think you’re not. I could be wrong, but there may be a difference between having certain fetishes and being submissive.
You could be right.
Very well said, Mr. Hotspur, and extremely thought provoking. I couldn’t choose one mentor to write a post about and I think you just summed up the reason for that.
Everybody’s got something to hide except for me and my monkey.
LOL….that just made me cry I laughed so hard!!
The joys of LSD.
The Freshmaker
Ha ha – I remember that~!
Pingback: Daily Prompt – Mentor Me – What I’ve Learned From Famous Mentors in Life | toofulltowrite (I've started so I'll finish)
Once again you have managed to be captivating and brilliant about something that seems simple. I guess all the great truths are like that. So profoundly simple that we make more out of it than there really is. I too learn many, if not most, of my life lessons from children and idiots.