Some thoughts about getting a mentor

While I was reading the first chapter on The C Student's Guide to Success about "making the most of many mentors", here's a thought that came to my mind:

"三人行必有我师"- 孔子

It's a quote by Confucius. Literally, it means that when there are three people walking together, there will always be a teacher among the group. Hence, one has to be open-minded enough to learn from everybody.

Sometimes, it's almost like a fairy tale to find a mentor. The fairy tale goes like this- Once upon a time, a young mentee found a wise mentor who is willing to teach everything she knew to the mentee ....The mentee learned everything she could and lived happily ever after....

I don't really have a mentor and I have not been actively looking for one since last year. (Think about Trinity searching for The One in The Matrix. :)). To me, mentor becomes a collective term of friends/ bosses/ co-workers/ bloggers/ relatives/ family that I can get pieces of advice and wisdom from.

Just another thought: if you really want to ask someone to be your mentor, make sure you know that person well before you make the request. And after you make the request, be sure to follow up constantly.

During my internship, I once asked a high-level exec to be my mentor since I admired her achievement in the company and having a well-balanced family life. Yet, I didn't realize that she was so busy at traveling that she barely stayed in the office. So in the end, I only had a chance to meet with her two hours for the entire year.

Just one more thought: If someone is going to teach you something, they are going to teach you anyway. It doesn't matter if they are your mentors, as long as you are willing to learn.






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