Do you have a mentor or mentors? What’s a mentor to you? A mentor to me is someone from whom we learn about different things in our lives. Such a person could be a teacher, a coach, a friend or anyone who teaches us along our path in life.Through out my life and since embarking on a quest to follow my dreams, I’ve been inspired and motivated by different people.
I’ll start from the main source, right from home, my mother, Nomhle Veli. Through not only her words but from her actions, kindness and generosity just come naturally to her. From her I’ve learned about the importance of giving. In her words “only if you give can you receive,” she probably got it from the Bible. Since I was young she’s shown me that there is never a reason not to be kind to those around you. She’s impressed upon me that how you treat people determines who you are. She’s taught me that if you have, then you should give to others as well. Whether or not I’m actually living up to that, I can’t say. Those who’ve encountered me will be better suited to decide on that, I can only hope that I do.
From Maya Angelou, through watching interviews, reading her books and poems, her confidence and grace have stood out for me. She has taught me that it doesn’t matter what other people think of me but what I think of myself. She’s taught me that I do not need to shout to be heard and that not every fight is worth getting into. The way she carried herself spoke volumes. Sometimes, she didn’t even need to say anything to put her point across. I’ve learned from her that my legacy is every life that I touch and not any big thing that I do that gets recognized by the world as something admirable. If I have half the confidence and grace that that woman had, I’ll be the happiest person in the world.
Behind every great man is a great woman and that couldn’t be more true of Joel Osteen and Victoria Osteen’s relationship. She might not be the one in the spotlight most of the time but Victoria Osteen’s faith cannot be missed. Where he doubted, she was the one who always believed. She has the kind of faith that is not easily shaken. When she speaks, her faith and her love for God are so clear that I think to myself, I want me some of that.
If I had Oprah Winfrey’s influence, I think I would lose my mind. She has done and has achieved so much in her lifetime but for me, her influence is what stands out. I am in awe of that. She didn’t just amass money and things but over time she nourished and nurtured the people’s trust in her. Not many people can do that. Anyone who has a dream, it will only be that much better if you have influence. I dream of that kind of influence because it would allow me an avenue to turn people to God and to make them believe in their dreams and themselves. So from Oprah, I’m learning about the power of influence and how to use it for good.
For living a passion filled life, Braam Malherbe begs mentioning. He is, for me, the embodiment of what pursuing your dreams can achieve. Despite all that he went through, getting to a point where he was bankrupt and recently divorced, he picked himself up and started following his passion for protecting the environment. Running the great wall of China from end to end is no easy feat and yet that didn’t stop him from doing it. He has a never say die attitude and I admire that about him. Hearing him give a motivational talk a few years ago, made me believe that nothing is impossible. Reading his book The great run had me believing I could achieve anything I put my mind to. If I can do for one person what Braam did for me, I’ll be humbled.
To the above individuals, thank you for showing me the way. Thank you for being such a great example to learn from. You might not realize it but the way you live your lives, the way you carry yourselves, has been something to emulate. Keep up the good work and do not get weary because you matter, not just to me but to all the other people that are seeing from you what I see.
If I was to mention each and every person that has ever taught me something or that I’ve learned from, I would write a hundred pages. I just picked a few, in no particular order. Who are your mentors? Who are the people that have made an impact on your life? Please share. You can do so in the comments section.
