Three Reasons Why You Should Have a Mentor

Photo courtesy of Minna of M1nna.s Photostream

For a long long time, I have dwelt in the bottomless pit worthlessness. And the only way I got out of there was when someone have put a trampoline somewhere in the middle that caused me to bounce back and see the light. I have written a part of it in my post Moving Forward.

After reading my post Moving Forward, my dear friend Val sent me a personal message. I want to quote a part of it. 

“Your experience is really something so precious. Suddenly, the world is a world of possibility again.  With God's hand holding yours, you can do anything. You can achieve all your dreams.  Everything you want. He will show you how. Continue to bask in His Light, oh child of God!”

She is right. When I rediscovered that, yes, I am a daughter of God, I gained back my confidence. Suddenly, I knew He will always be at my side and guide me every step of the way. Suddenly, I have direction. I never felt alone.

Even after regaining that confidence, there were times when this feeble child of Him turned away. But He was always at the door waiting for me to go back. When I realized that I can’t do well alone and went back to Him, He just smiled and welcomed me.

This has been my experience. It can be yours too.

As I have said in my previous post, I have met friends along the way who helped me gain back my confidence. Some of those friends also became my mentor. And this I encourage a dreamer must have. That trampoline which God has put in the middle of the pit where I was were my mentors.

The first mentor that I had introduced me to the World Youth Day delegation, which I joined last August 2011. The World Youth Day played a great role in confirming that I can do many things and that my dreams are achievable.

One of the perks of joining the World Youth Day is having a “life coach”. I think this is unique to our delegation. Each of us was given a life coach who dealt with us personally.

The life coach was someone whom we could trust, someone who does not tell everyone what you told her and someone who keeps your discussions confidential. The life coach is someone who listens to you – your fears, your problems, your joys, your sorrows, your disappointments; and someone who does not laugh at your mistakes but helps you grow personally. She gives suggestions but does not force you to carry them out. She leaves the execution all up to you.

This was important to me. Just having someone who “wastes” her time on me was a treasure. It gives me the impression that I am a valuable person, not a good-for-nothing person. This helped me gain my confidence back and the rest was history.

And so, I give you my list of why you too should have a good mentor.

1. Even Pope Benedict and all the Popes before him had a mentor or a Spiritual Director.

2. Most Saints became Saints because of good mentoring. Some famous saints who were mentored are Saint Josemaria Escriva and Saint Augustine.

3. You will grow personally and you will gain a friend. My mentors are also my friends.

This is not an exhaustive list so maybe you can add.

Always Praying for you,

Divine

P.S. If you find it hard to find good mentors, go to your ultimate mentor - who is God.

I Remember Ice

Photo courtesy of Sister Rose of "glistening on the grass"

"Old people think about death. But for young people like you, you don't think about death. You think about life," said Father Cenzon in our monthly recollection one Saturday. I think it's true. I can say that I'm having the time of my life now. But what if one of your peers suddenly died? Will you not think about death?

Ice had been fighting Lupus since she was 11. At the age of 28, she joined hands with the Almighty.

I've known her  for only more than a year but for the short time that I have known her, I have already admired her strength and her cheerfulness.

She's supposed to be joining us in the World Youth Day last year but just a few weeks before the World Youth Day, she had brain surgery so the doctor did not allow her.

The preparation for the World Youth Day was intense. In fact, we had to prepare for more than a year, attend the monthly meetings and team building and other activities. If she was not in the hospital or if she was not sick, she would attend. And I have never heard her complain about her sickness.

Ice...

I still remember having fun with you when we sang and danced in our "Bel-air's Got Talent" even if we didn't have practice and we lost.

I still remember the time when we walked together in the World Youth Day Fun Run. I wish I walked longer with you.

I still remember seeing you in the hospital after one of your operations. You still had that cheerful disposition even if, I'm sure, you were in a lot of pain.

I remember you joining our monthly meeting even if you just had dialysis that same day.

I remember you smile. Who would have thought that you were in a lot of pain with your sweet smile?

You are beautiful as a butterfly. I liken your life on Earth as the process of metamorphosis. It was painful. But you were patient and strong and cheerful. Now you are free and soaring high.

Pray for us in heaven that we may be cheerful and patient and strong just like you, and that we may be wise in all our undertakings; that we may savor life as you did, remembering that every moment of our lives is important.

We miss you... Til we meet again.

“They whom we love and lose are no longer where they were before. They are now wherever we are.”

St. John Chrysostom

Moving Forward

Time moves so fast. Three days from now, I will glance at my desk no more. I will sit in my chair no more. I will see my work station no more.

Three days from now, my contract with the Finance and Administration Office of The Philippine Foundation for C.E.D. will end. No, I was not fired. I tendered my resignation last February 13 but my superior requested me to extend my stay until March 30 and I agreed. I admit that since February 13, I have waited for March 30 to come. I was anxious and excited and talked about my bright future to my friends. I know my colleagues in the foundation understand why I am leaving. Being a CPA, they know that I still have many things to discover and to learn and to apply that I cannot do in the foundation. They are happy for me, yet, it was inevitable that some of them were saddened. Somehow, I developed a camaraderie among them and a some kind of an attachment was formed.

I was saddened too. I worked for the foundation for more than two years. It was my first job. I grew a lot during my stay there and I learned many things. But perhaps nothing is really permanent and we have to be open for change. I am moving forward to an Art Outsourcing I.T. Company where I hope to grow with too.

I don't know what is in store for me in my new job. But it's the risk I want to take and the challenge that I accept.

As a child, I have always been a dreamer. I have imagined many good things that can happen to me. I was very confident. I believed that I can achieve everything that I can ever think of.

Somewhere in between my childhood and now, I experienced a drop in confidence. I have counted the years. For eight years, I had low self esteem. For eight years, I forgot the dreams I had as a child. For eight years, I looked at myself as a good for nothing. I thought I everyone else was better than me.

I was wrong. Little by little, I have gained back my confidence with the help of some friends that I know the Almighty has sent me. Slowly, I have realized my self worth with what is called the "Divine Filiation", the confidence that comes from the fact that you are a child of God. The dreams and the confidence that I had as a child came back.

Now that I look at the eight years of my life that has been  "wasted" in low self worth, I want to make up for it. I still have my fears of failure and rejection but I do not want to grow old or to die doing nothing about my dreams.

Yeah, that illustration is creepy. I myself got chills when I was drawing that. But that is not meant to scare us. It is just an invitation for us to move towards our dreams. Let us not bring our dreams with us to the grave.

What are you willing to take in order to achieve your dreams?

Live Fully,
Divine