Today was the rare opportunity where I got to profusely thank someone who beat the crap out of me.
Wait. That sounds weird.
What I mean is I got to catch up with a mentor who was instrumental in helping me reach the next level. When we first had an introductory conversation, I told this mentor that I didn’t need cheerleaders; I needed people who would tell what I didn’t want to hear but needed to anyway. And I can now happily report that this mentor took that challenge to heart: issuing me blistering rebukes when it came to subduing my selfish tendencies and instilling a leadership mindset.
An absolute gem.
Blind spots can derail us, but few of our friends are willing to go there and be as honest as we sometimes need them to be. It’s okay, they’re our friends after all. But I’ve now realized that the rare friend and mentor is the one who will tell you exactly how things are.
Without one conversation in particular, I would have never been unselfish enough to realize the opportunity I long-sought was already right in front of my face.
That conversation was worth everything. It was exactly what I needed to hear and the exact time I needed to hear it the most. How many times does that happen in our lives?
How many times do we hear the call but fail to recognize it?
Not this time.
This time we did it.
Find mentors that will also tell you what you don’t want to hear. It might just be the missing piece that brings it all together.
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