The Gift of a Mentor

The definition of a mentor is: an experienced and trusted advisor.

I have been blessed with many mentors in my life.  The first mentor I received was at the age of 3 years old.  At this tender age, I began playing the violin under the instruction of Jeanne Grover a Suzuki violin teacher.  She taught me many things in regards to music and the violin.  However, under her kind and loving instruction I also learned many life lessons that would carry me throughout the hard years of growing up.  These lessons were:

1.      I am capable of doing hard things.  For those of you who don’t play an instrument, you should know that playing any instrument uses both sides of your brain simultaneously.  You focus on a plethora of concepts all at once:  the mathematics and mechanics of the music; the form of your body while playing; the notes and tone; coordinating these skills with all the other musicians around you; and lastly the musicality.  There is a reason musicians often get good grades in school.

2.      Finish what you start.  There is no sense in starting something you won’t finish. This conditions you to fail. 

3.      Honesty.  An honest person is a trustworthy person. Be honest with yourself and others.  If I didn’t practice, and then I lied saying I did, Jeanne knew.  I learned early on that honesty got me a lot further than lying.  Also, lying didn’t protect me, it inhibited my progress!

4.      Talent.  Talent is not something that you are born with; it is something that you learn or are taught.  You can be good at anything, but you have to have the desire and the determination to then follow through with it.  This philosophy that every child (or person) can learn a new skill was developed by Schnichi Suzuki himself.

5.      The taste of success. After hours of hard practice and concentrated effort, performing the violin in front of hundreds of people is one of the most exhilarating, terrifying, and amazingly rewarding experiences for a musician.  However, it only comes after the work has already been done. 

my beloved mentor: Jeanne Grover

Since Jeanne, I have had many mentors in the field of music and I am grateful to every last one of them for how they have changed my life. The gift of a mentor is priceless, they are the wise and the loving.  

Mentors do not grow on trees, and they cannot be bought, unlike many financial institutions might have you think.  It is a rare thing to find a person who will unselfishly devote their time to your education and not ask you to sell your soul in return.  Last year, I was blessed to find two new mentors: Brent and Holly Anderson. I am so very grateful to them for everything they have taught me in regards to building businesses, thinking positively, and recognizing opportunities.  They are different from any music mentor that I’ve had regarding the goals we have set.  However, the things they have taught me are very similar:

     

      1. I am capable of doing hard things.  Building a business can be extremely hard, physically and mentally.  However, knowing that your future is in your hands is well worth the effort.

   

       2.. Finish what you start.  If you continually back out of the things you have started, you will never succeed. You will end up regretting your decision repeatedly, wishing that your circumstances would change and unable to change your circumstances yourself. 

3. Honesty.  Honesty is the basis for any good business, interaction, and relationship. If you are dishonest, those around you will know.  Without honesty you cannot succeed.

4. Talent. Talent is developed, not inborn! The general mindset of an entrepreneur is one of positivity, opportunity, and accomplishment.  They are trained to see the nuggets of gold hidden around them, and they know how to turn those small nuggets into large bricks.  They are the optimists who see the best in all things and know they will be successful.  There is a reason that entrepreneurs often don’t need to get good grades. They have learned the talent of success.

5.      Taste of success.  Having a dream is the best way to taste your success.  Dream and visualize what you are working toward and imagine what it will be like when you reach that goal.  After the work is done your success will taste all the sweeter.

Each of my mentors has helped me obtain different goals, but the things they teach are so similar.  They may use these teachings in different concepts, but they are the same nonetheless.  My mentors have provided me with a full and rich life.  They are those people who I will always look up to.  I have listed a few of their names below.  I hope they will read this and know how grateful I am to them.

Listed in chronological order:

Jeanne Grover, Barbara Scowcroft, Dara Morales, Linda Morrison, Ted Ashton, Alma Moraza, President and Sister Watkins, Sue Neimoyer, Brent and Holly Anderson.

Thank You.