Anyone who has accomplished anything in life has not done it alone.  In January, we pause to remember that the best way to honor those who have helped us is by “paying it forward”.

National Mentoring Month Logo

National Mentoring Month was established in 2002 to promote youth mentoring, a worthy endeavor, especially in an era of fractured families and absent grandparents.  Mentoring can be an exponential Win-Win-Win, benefitting the giver, the receiver, and the community as a whole.But mentoring isn’t–and shouldn’t be–limited to youth. If you’re breathing, you should be learning and growing. Yes, even the old folks!

I’ve served as a formal mentor in a work setting, an awesome responsibility, and I’ve been blessed to be on the receiving end of great informal mentoring, particularly through my membership in Romance Writers of America.  “One hand reaching forward, one hand reaching back, in a continuing chain” is the motto of our local chapter.  When I first joined, the late Charlotte Lobb, a multipublished author, sat down with me and shared her thoughts, wisdom, and experience about starting a late career in writing commercial fiction.  Her success is a high bar I may never achieve, but I’ll never forget her kindness–it’s something I try to pass on to new members.

Charlotte Lobb
source: CharlotteCarter.com

What about you? Have you had a great mentor in your life or career?