Week 237

Positive post Sunday, September 5, 2021- Week 237. 

Mentoring is recognized as an important and valued part of personal and professional development in the workplace.  Many businesses offer formal and informal mentoring programs geared toward advancing the careers of their employees.  Some companies leverage mentoring as part of their succession planning efforts and see it as a strategic investment in the future health and wellbeing of their organizations.

Mentors have played a very important role in my personal and professional career development over the years.  I have benefited from the coaching and support of many mentors and I’m grateful for their guidance and council.  Paying it forward, I have also had the opportunity and privilege to mentor many employees, both formally and informally, and I’ve found it extremely rewarding to see them grow and advance their careers.  I’m hopeful that, like my mentors, I have made a difference and contributed to the growth of those I have mentored.

Reflecting on the many positive experiences I have had with mentoring in my professional life, made me think about the importance of coaching and mentoring in my spiritual life.  I am even more appreciative of and grateful for the spiritual mentors I have had throughout my life, and there are many.  My spiritual foundation was set by the many mentors (also known as teachers and priests) I learned from over my 12 years of Catholic school education.  I will always be grateful for the sacrifices my parents (also spiritual mentors and role models) made so I could grow in faith as well as academically.

Fast forward into my adult life, and I ask myself if I have placed the same importance and focus on developing my spiritual self as I have developed my professional career?  Have I sought spiritual mentors, those who help us grow beyond our earthly selves in pursuit of everlasting life, to guide my life with the same rigor and focus as I have in my professional life?  Have I accepted the call to be a spiritual mentor for others?  I’d like to think so, but like most things in my life, there is much room for improvement.  I’m committed to seeking additional spiritual mentors who can help me deepen my faith and service to others, and to explore additional opportunities to be a spiritual mentor for those in need.

I ask the Lord for his blessing on those who have taken me under their wings and mentored me personally, professionally and spiritually and for his grace and guidance as I mentor others.  Some of my mentors have been formal relationships and some informal, and then there are those that may not even be aware that I consider them mentors.  One thing is common in all of them, they live lives of faith and service to others and they have my deepest respect.  

Do you have spiritual mentors who help you grow in faith and service to others?

Are you a spiritual mentor for others?