S2E1: Search for and Love thy Mentors

An Evening Flower for the Mentors 🌻

The term is a tricky one.

Definition: "a person who gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person especially in a professional or academic context"

This may look like:
🎯 Someone who teaches you how to do something
🌟 Someone who tells you something to true that you have an ah'a moment
🤔 Someone who helps you realize the mistake and what to do differently
🧠 Someone who expands your critical thinking habits
🥸 Someone who reminds you how to have fun at work

My mentors have come from different places and spaces...different ages and races...different genders and sexual orientations...different religions and nationalities...different incomes and lifestyles.

Because at the end of the day, they are all people. And I am human.

What has aligned us up has not always been the transference of skills or how to. In this part of my career, is really understand my goals, vision, and legacy.

Oftentimes, these conversations include:
🤓 Relatability: have you walked a path that I want to walk?
💗 Understanding: have you navigated leadership from a woman's point of view?
🌱 Have you grown your career while also raising children/caregiving?

In these exchanges, it has to be clear what you seek. And when you know what you seek, its easier to hold a conversation that opens you up to receive what you need.

I oftentimes hear that as FGPs, networking is hard AND that we want mentors. But we are intimidated by asking because we don't want to be transactional. Or you don't want to reach out after being MIA for a while. Yet, the key aspect that rarely gets named is that you are being resourceful. You ping pong amongst people to get to where you need to get to.

The scary piece is that you don't know what you don't know so you may have a side quest, a mistake, a change of heart, a disappointment, a betrayal...essentially all the things that come with navigating people.

That said, it is our obligation to build our fortitude in moving through, along side, and past people. When they are MIA, your job is to keep going.

First Gennies, you need people but for people to help you, you need to articulate what you need. And this my loves, is a practice.

And I work on it actively because in a world were systems want to chew you up, its people who will fortify you.

So for all the mentors who have poured into me, I thank you for holding a piece of the puzzle I complete in me.

Thank you for gifting advice and opportunities for the generosity is not obligatory.

Thank you for challenging my limited ideas and pushing me to be grand.

Thank you for giving me space and love when we disagree or I fall short of your expectations.

Thank you for exposing me to things I don't know, watering my dreams.

Thank you for serving.

May this bouquet embrace you.