Being Brave: Thank a Past Mentor

Here’s a short story before this week’s Being Brave Challenge.

Guidance vs. Inner Authority

I was watching a show recently, and the main character was asking someone to please tell him what to do. He’s one of those characters that doesn’t have a good sense of self, so it made sense to the plot line.

There are days I feel like this, too. Days I wish someone could give me a clear path forward. But when I really think about it, I have the answers deep inside. 

However, sometimes I’m led to find guidance from a mentor, ask a friend about their experience in a specific situation, or seek more knowledge on from a subject-matter expert.

So while I advocate for strengthening your inner authority so you don’t need others to “tell you what to do”, I’m also a supporter of having mentors and learning from others.

One of my mentors will give me advice if I ask, but makes sure that she adds, “Only do this if it feels correct for you.” 

Early on in my journey of knowing myself, it was helpful to hear those words. Before that, I always felt like I had to take someone’s advice, even if it felt wrong to do so. 

Where I am today would not have been possible without a village-full of people teaching and supporting me along the way.

Who in your life has served as a mentor, a guide, or even as a really good friendduring a time when you needed it? 

I’ll bet you can name a lot of people. I sure can.

But here’s the question of the day – how many of those people actually know the impact they had on your life? 

This leads us into the Being Brave Challenge for this week: thank someone from your past.

This isn’t our best photo, but Nora was my favorite boss and is still a big mentor in my life.

The Being Brave Challenge – Week 5

Pick one person (or more) from your past that had an impact on your life. Send them a text, give them a call, write them a letter/email, or message them on social media. 

Your message can be simple or in depth. Be sure to thank them for what they did(or how they made you feel) and give them a little background on the particular situation if needed. 

I like to start with “Hi, i’ve been thinking about this lately and wanted to thank you for [insert situation] and tell you it really meant a lot.” 

You may not hear back, but most of the time, I get a pretty nice response when doing this. Funny thing is, many people don’t even realize that they made an impact.

It could have been a very small act of kindness to them. Nevertheless, they will still be happy knowing they helped someone else.

As always, send me your stories about the challenge and how it went!

  • Go from “alone and doing nothing” to having weekends that are jam-packed with festivals, hikes, taking classes, and backyard barbecues with good friends.
  • Discover interesting outlets for meeting people, even if it seems like there’s not much to do where you live.
  • Most people say they want good friends, but never do anything about it. I’ll show you how to take the actions up front to not only meet new people, but to find the RIGHT friends for you.

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