Curious Case Of The Mentor-Mentee Relationship
A little something on phases in our lives, a relationship that will do you a world of good and a matchmaking platform.
Hey Zedites,
Look, we endured the ups and downs of yet another year! Who else thought the world was ending on the 21st of December, 2012?
As we pen down the first issue of 2023, we wish everyone a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year!
A Story For You
There is a popular postulate that resolutions made in December are going to be held sacred by January or even February. The optimism of mere humans cajoles them to believe that they can embark on a new phase in their lives, with another digit placed precariously at the end of the regular 2022. Gosh, people in 1999 must have thought that the world is going to change in just one day.
This is not a sadistic attempt to burn your motivation down to the ground, that too, on the second day of the year… we just wanted to introduce the notion that phases in our lives are not defined by dates (we must have taken the introduction a bit too far).
We’re unable to recall every single event that occurs in our lives, therefore it is near impossible for someone to remember exact dates or even time periods. So, we hate it to break it to you but ‘2023 is going to be my year’ isn’t really set in stone. You’ll always have to sneak up on the past to label a certain time in your life to be triumphant or kaput. What we, as humans, do remember, however, are major events; and especially those events that had a significant mental, emotional or even physical impact on us.
Let’s make it simpler.
Are you more likely to remember the year of your graduation or what happened to you between May 2017 and December 2017?
Phew, we had to make that clear that up before moving on with the actual story.
High school seems like the pinnacle of achievements before you graduate but it’s only the day after you’ve got the coveted certificate in your hands, that the expanse of possibilities that lay ahead dawn upon you. The pressure of being the best version of yourself is multplied umpteen times as every teenager around looks to do the same - the competition has increased significantly.
Amidst the morass of big human emotions, ambitions and social life, we hone our abilities to become rebels, challenging anyone and everyone looking to correct our wrongs. After all, at that age, we know everything, don’t we? We listen to only those who nod and acknowledge our rambunctious statements and claims; and neglect those who oppose our naive and unauthenticated beliefs. Discarding people’s opinions becomes second nature as the obsessive need to colonize people’s thoughts, sets in.
I wasn’t entirely in that phase, but I definitely had a foot in.
I’ve had my fair share of yes-men, who would ingenuously strengthen my delusions and even support my shenanigans. That wasn’t helping anyone, given that their level of knowledge was at par with mine. It had become imperative to seek guidance from someone who’s already been in the phase of life I was in at the time and not from people who were living it with me!
An additional reason stemmed from the fact that I was stuck in an endless loop of announcing my goals and doing zilch to achieve them. When I confronted my social circle about it, they realized that they too, were clueless about their action plan. Substance-less goals, if that were ever a word. We even wrote an entire piece about it!
The word ‘dynamic’ is often used to describe the business world today. Making quicker decisions, failing faster and avoiding major blunders are key to making it big before someone else emulates your idea (psst… major corporations with loads of money to burn). It’s not the time to make your own mistakes, rather, it’s time to learn from others (what a Zed Letter Day and It’s That Easy! plug in).
Mentorship was what I was looking for, when I decided to get out of the rut I was helplessly slithering in. I needed a lodestar to assure me of my success.
A mentor is a seasoned professional who informally guides a less experienced person in their professional endeavours.
A mentor is someone who dope slaps you when you’re going wrong and pats your back when you return from your detour. Having a mentor is NOT the same as having a smart friend who can guide you. While that’s great too, having a professional mentee-mentor relationship goes a long way! Unlike your friends, mentors only look at you from the professional standpoint… all other biases are eliminated. You’re a protege, someone who will carry the professional genes of the certain someone you’re learning from. It’s a beautiful combination of their mistakes and your learnings, their raggedy path and your highway, their failures and your success.
Most of it might sound fairly obvious to you, but at the time, this was a genuine game-changer for me. I needed to hear from my mentors and soak their experience in, no matter how harsh their delivery was. It was, as it is today, easy to get carried away with endless distractions but they ensured I stuck to the course and more importantly, completed it.
I seldom believe you’re lost on your journey. It’s a matter of seeking someone to guide and direct you; the important word being ‘seek’. Be open to the possibility of being mentored - only then you’ll be able to find one.
If you’re reading this, it may be a sign for you to seek a mentor or for a mentor to seek a mentee. The satisfaction goes both ways.
Even Indeed agrees.
A Story From You
We, once again, are not coaxing you for a story this time.
Rather, we’ll let this be a platform for anyone who is seeking a mentor or a mentee.
Happy New Year everyone,
Harsh