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#neverstoplearning: finding a mentor

Hey there!

People often ask me about the importance of mentorship — do I need a mentor? If so, how do I find one? My answer is relatively simple. Yes, mentorship is extremely valuable to growth, both personally and professionally. We all need guidance, a place to comfortably seek clarity, garner inspiration or weather the unforeseen demands of change; however, that second component of discovering a reliable mentor can be intimidating, and downright, discouraging at moments. But, it doesn’t have to be. Mentorship can be found everywhere.

The core value of any mentorship is gaining new insight. While having access to a one-on-one mentor is ideal, we can’t get caught thinking linearly about the potential outlets for learning. Mentorship can be found in all shapes and sizes. This can be done by reading a book or article from someone you admire or attending a retreat in your profession or extending your reach via social media — the list goes on and on.

I recently received an email from Stefanie MacDonald of Halifax Paper Hearts. Less than 18 months ago, Stefanie had a dream of creating greeting cards and prints. She was looking for guidance, inspiration, maybe a “sign” (like we all do) to get started and stumbled upon my “10 Things You MUST Do Before Approaching a Retail Store” checklist. Fast forward a year and a half (and a completed checklist later), and her line of paper goods is now carried in 80 stores in Canada. Woot! Stefanie’s story is not just a great example of success but also of how mentorship can be found in the unexpected, like a late night Google search :)

I’m humbled to be able to reach others in even the smallest of ways. It’s one of the reasons I continue to do what I do.  I encourage you to seek out your own form of mentorship (whatever it might be) and also, when the time is right, #payitforward :)

xoxo,

 

Image via Pinterest

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