A mentor is a person with expertise in a particular field of expertise, who agrees to mentor or guide someone to improve their craft in that field. Generally, the act of mentoring is selfless, something the mentor does for the grace of another person. The mentor is not hired, but rather he (or she) makes himself or herself available to someone who needs support.

The relationship is much like that of a teacher to a student. It borrows from the long business tradition of a craft guild, in which a master craftsman instructs a journeyman who seeks to learn the necessary skills of the master’s trade, such as a blacksmith, a silversmith, a horse breeder, a candle repairman. , or whatever. The distinction between the two is that in a trade, the skill that is passed down from a master to a journeyman involves the use of the hands to make a product to sell or to create a work of art. Whereas, a mentor can also impart knowledge, political connections, or even a high level of friendship, similar to a family relationship.

Sometimes a teacher is approached by a stranger, someone who has heard of the teacher’s reputation and wants that particular person to be their mentor. Other times, there’s a natural progression, like an uncle who feels a tug at his heart to mentor a wayward nephew, or a coach who realizes one of his ballplayers comes from a broken family and needs a father figure beyond. what the youth’s family can provide. The most disinterested and somewhat sad version inverts the norm. The mentor is the one who is looking for a student, someone who takes up her profession or art, a protégé, a person who can follow in the footsteps of the teacher. The cause is usually a life change for the captain, a sudden loss of employment, an unexpected geographic change, physical disability, or impending death.

The mentor relationship is more intense under such a condition. The time may be short. The mentor may be in physical pain. On top of all that, the mentor didn’t expect to be a mentor at all in a circumstance-driven relationship. He or she may not be a great mentor because of it and the one he or she selected may not have her heart in it either. However, out of such sadness, a strong human bond could still be formed. Under any conditions, a mentor must understand and practice the company as a selfless act. It is giving yourself totally, without reservations, pure and simple.

Someone who receives the offer of a mentor is one who is blessed to enjoy the grace of another human being. The receiver must be humble, grateful and accommodating. It would be a great affront to make your mentor fit into some schedule to follow your personal schedule. The thing to do is stop what you’re doing, greet the mentor every time he calls. After all, only your appreciation moves the mentor to offer you the selfless act of her time to bring you the benefit of enriching your life.