On Mentorship: 6 Reasons Why Mentorship will change your life (part 2)

Some more musings on the gifts of mentorship as we celebrate the feast and harvest rituals of Lúnasa in the ancient Celtic Calendar. And in the spirit of celebration, I am delighted that our Creative Mentorship Programme was featured in The Irish Times Magazine at the weekend. More about that below and I have also shared 6 ways that mentorship can change you life. Now lets hand proceedings over to Oprah.

“A mentor is someone who allows you to see the hope inside yourself. A mentor is someone who allows you to know that no matter how dark the night, in the morning joy will come. A mentor is someone who allows you to see the higher part of yourself when sometimes it becomes hidden to your own view."

Oprah Winfrey

Meeting with the mentor

Dr. Maya Angelou guided Oprah Winfrey towards her destiny. In the archetypal hero/heroines journey, the role of the mentor is to prepare the hero to accept the call to adventure, leave the ordinary world and face out into unknown territory. Inspirational mentors have helped me to accept the call to adventure at challenging stages of my life. They have all shared their valuable wisdom and encouraged me forward at the most important personal and professional junctures. They have helped me to sharpen the spear of intention and walk through fear with courage and confidence. They have cheered on from the sidelines.

Some of these mentorship relationships developed with random people I encountered by accident (think literal car collision- read previous blog post), others were forged when I reached out to people whose work in the world set me on fire. All of these relationships have challenged me to step up and risk doing things that scare me. All of these relationships have brought joy, beauty and magic into my life. All of these relationships have helped me to find my True North. If you are drawn to mentorship as a stepping stone to your next stage of development - then look no further. I have designed a Creative Mentorship Programme just for you. My role is to help you to see the higher part of yourself and to show you what's possible in your life. I am here to support you to tap into the deepest wisdom within you and reach the highest levels of your creative potential. Your role is to accept the call to adventure.

Why work with a mentor?

6 reasons why mentorship will change you life

Mentorship is valuable at every stage of your personal and professional life. There are many styles of mentorship ranging from The Initiator to The Challenger, The Cheerleader and everything in between. The best mentors will offer rich insights that will help you to broaden your perspective and expand your repertoire. Choosing the right mentor for you is of paramount importance. No one person will have all the answers so think about the kind of relationship you need. Establish a check list and then reach out and tell this person why you want to learn from them. When you start out its important to establish the framework for the working relationship and be prepared to be moved.

1. Mentors are ninja coaches who inspire you to shift out of your comfort zone, take risks and jump onto the next stage of your learning curve.

2. Mentors are mirrors who help you to hold multiple perspectives by checking the rear view, identifying blinds spots and expanding your horizon.

3. Mentors are here to ask challenging and bold questions so that you can get really clear about your vision and reach for the stars.

4. Mentors bring experience and expertise to the table that will help you to brainstorm, run scenario planning, tackle super wicked problems and up your game.

5. Mentors inspire you to align with your values and motivate you to make empowered decisions.

6. Mentors encourage you to be accountable to yourself and those around you.

If you feel ready to explore my creative mentorship programme at The Trailblazery then get in touch. We can set up an introductory call to see if we are a good mentorship match.

Your future is calling. I look forward to helping you explore it.

Kathy xox

PS. Here are some online spaces that have inspired my creative mentorship programme.

Thomas Hübl thomashuebl.com

Marie Forleo marieforleo.com

Krista Tippet onbeing.org

Oprah Winfrey oprah.com

Tim Ferris tribeofmentors.com

Elizabeth Gilbert elizabethgilbert.com/magic-lessons/

Sounds True soundstrue.com