According to a recent article in More magazine, Grammy Award winning singer Estelle Swaray dreamed big, but her parents didn’t have the resources or the knowledge to help her realize her dreams. They did, however, know enough to encourage her to join a mentorship program at the BBC where she was taught important lessons on how to fulfill her dreams.
Paying it forward, Estelle recently launched her own mentoring foundation called the All of Me Foundation. All of Me is educating, enlightening, and expanding the horizons of young people to realize their dreams.
Now, imagine if Estelle’s parents had not had the courage or the foresight to sign her up for that mentoring program? How different Estelle’s life may be today. And, consequently, she very well may not be paying it forward. How different, then, the lives of those mentorees working with Estelle’s foundation would turn out.
Have you thought about the true difference you could be making in the life of your mentoree? Or are you just going through the motions? If you are involved in a mentoring relationship at work, take it seriously! Encourage, develop, and influence your mentoree. You can do it! Who knows, your mentoree may someday become a very important person who has you to thank for changing his/her life. And if that very important person decides to pay it forward like Estelle has done, well then, that would just be icing on the cake!