Have you ever wished you had a mentor? Here are 3 possible places to find a mentor, plus how to approach your mentor to set you up for a good relationship.
Whether you are a homemaker, a mom, a work-at-home mom, or a woman in general, I truly believe in the value of having people around you who are wiser, more seasoned, and from whom you can learn.
We should be constantly learning and growing. I have been incredibly blessed to have several different mentors over the course of my life who have helped me to learn and grow.
I hear from women all the time saying that they wish they had a mentor. Today I’d like to share 3 places you can look to find a mentor for everyday living, homemaking, or motherhood.
Image credit
3 Places to Find a Mentor
1. Look for mentors in moms’ groups.
Check groups like MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) and The Mommies Network. You can also find moms’ groups through local community centers and churches. Some moms’ groups already have mentors worked in. For example, our local MOPS group had some moms of school-aged children who actually came to every meeting as the mentor moms.
I actually found my mentor Holly through a local moms’ group! She was a speaker at MOPS. I approached her after the event and we connected right away.
One thing led to another. She started coming to my house and giving me homemaking advice (I think she felt sorry for me!). Eventually I just started calling her my mentor. That’s what our relationship had turned into.
Image credit
2. Look for mentors at church.
Not all of you may go to church. If you don’t I encourage you to find a church where you can really connect with the people. Be on the lookout for someone who is older, wiser, and more seasoned who you feel like you can learn from.
3. Look for mentors through friends.
Maybe your friend has a mentor who would also be willing to mentor you.
Notice I did not mention looking online for a mentor, although I am not opposed to that. But I really encourage you to cultivate real-life relationships–we’re missing out when all of our relationships are only online.
Image credit
Personally, I love having a mentor who is a few seasons ahead of me. Although Holly is over 10 years older than me, sometimes it feels like we’re peers. We can chat about all kinds of stuff that we have in common.
But then there are other times when I’m talking about my little girl back talking me and I feel over my head in that, she can remember and reminisce from when her boys, who are now in college, were doing that. She can give me tips of things she did right, and she also tells me things she did wrong.
After you have found someone whom you’d like to have as a mentor, here are some ways to approach him or her:
Cora
In our society which is often so impersonal nowadays, it’s refreshing to read things like this. A mentor is so important to have in life. Whether it’s a mother or an older and wiser women from church, there’s a lot that others have gone through that maybe we haven’t.
And thanks for being specific too! Not just “you need a mentor, everyone needs a mentor” and so on. But you actually made the most important point of all: Woman who desire a mentor need to go find one! In smaller communities 100 years ago, these things would have happened naturally… But now, we need to be deliberate.
Thanks again. This was a refreshing read.