A mentor is a person with experience 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 out of grace for another person. The mentor is not hired, but he (or she) makes himself 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 guild of craftsmen, in which a master craftsman instructs a journeyman seeking to learn the necessary skills of the master’s trade, such as a blacksmith, silversmith, horse breeder, sail 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 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 feeling a tug at his heart to mentor a wayward nephew, or a coach realizing that one of his ballplayers comes from a broken family and needs a father figure beyond. what the young man’s family can provide. The more disinterested and somewhat sad version reverses the norm. The mentor is the one that a student is looking for, someone who will resume his 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 imminent death.

The mentor relationship is more intense under such a condition. Time may be short. The mentor may be in physical pain. On top of all that, the mentor didn’t expect to 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, from such sadness, a strong human bond could still be formed. Under any condition, a mentor must understand and practice the enterprise 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 have your mentor fit into some schedule to follow your personal schedule. The thing to do is stop what you’re doing, receive the mentor every time he calls. After all, only your appreciation moves the mentor to offer you the selfless act of her time to give you the benefit of enriching your life.