From 2 Mentors to 0 Mentors

I’ve had two mentors in my life -

1. My high school mentor taught me how to be more confident.

2. My college mentor taught me how to network, be a leader and take control of my life.

However, both are no longer my mentors.

Why is that?

Their lifestyle and values don’t align with mine.

Truthfully they never did -
My goals and dreams were highly influenced by their realities.

They both went the traditional path of:

Get a degree and work until retirement.

It wasn’t until I sat down -
In silence with no influence from this noisy world -
That I was able to ask & answer honestly:

What does life have to offer?

I finally gave attention to a vision I have been suppressing since HIGH SCHOOL!

But the more I walked towards this new path…

The further away I got from my mentors.

I recently reached out to my high school mentor to ask a personal question.

It had been almost 2 years since our last call!

Ring Ring Ring

“Man, I’m so excited for this call” - I thought

To my disappointment…

The call went towards a direction I never saw coming.

“Man I wished we would’ve talked when you took that gap year”

“Content creation ain’t going to pay the bills”

“Let’s set up bi-weekly calls so we can get you back on track”

My heart sank to my stomach and shattered.

WTF WTF

How can this be?

How can my high school role-model be telling me these things?

But then I realized…

He only knows the old version of me.

Old Alex:

• Kin Major

• 9-5 Mentality

• No tolerance for risk

New Alex is:

• Artsy

• Philosophical

• Entrepreneurial
  

This was the person I told my goals and dreams to…

The guy that told me to “follow my gut”…

I knew I couldn’t continue this mentorship,

Because I no longer felt comfortable sharing my goals and dreams ~ I would sound crazy!

I was left bummed. From 2 mentors to 0 mentors.

I understand having a mentor is crucial for success ~

But the wrong mentor can lead you towards the wrong path.

This led me to a question:

How can one find the right mentor?

I’m on the search for an answer —

In next week’s newsletter, I’ll share my discoveries -

Until then, stay kurious friends!