Happy National Mentoring Month! The month of January is dedicated to honoring and thanking
This is an overview from the National Mentoring Month website:
Created in 2002 by the Harvard School of Public Health and MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership, National Mentoring Month focuses national attention on the need for mentors, as well as how each of us—individuals, businesses, government agencies, schools, faith communities and nonprofits—can work together to increase the number of mentors to assure brighter futures for our young people.
Which individuals have acted as your mentors over the years? Who has influenced you professionally or personally? How have they changed your life in a positive way? Use one or more of these journaling prompts to pay tribute your personal mentors.
1. Think back to the people who were most influential in your early life – teachers, coaches, family members, family friends. Who had the biggest impact on your development as a child? Was it the tutor who helped you overcome challenges learning how to read? Was it the aunt who encouraged you to nurture your love of painting and drawing? Write this mentor a letter in your journal, thanking him or her for making a difference in your life.
2. Maya Angelou, who is a strong supporter of National Mentoring Month, once said:
In order to be a mentor, and an effective one, one must care. You must care. You don't have to know how many square miles are in Idaho, you don't need to know what is the chemical makeup of chemistry, or of blood or water. Know what you know and care about the person, care about what you know and care about the person you're sharing with.
What is your reaction to these words? Write a response in your journal.
3. What is your definition of a mentor? What qualities does a good mentor possess? Patience, humor, generosity? Write your own description of the ideal mentor.
4. Have you ever been a mentor to someone else? Who was it, and how did you meet? What did each of you gain from your relationship? How did mentoring make you feel? Write about your experience in your journal.
If you need some other journaling ideas for this exercise, maybe one of our hundreds of journaling prompts will tickle your fancy.
What are your personal mentoring experiences? Share them in the comments!
If you want to learn how journaling can help you tackle life's challenges, please download the free eBook, The Journaling Guide to Manage The Stress and Strains of Life.