A Good Mentor - The Stairway to Success

The minute we are born we learn so much from our parents - to smile, to talk, to walk, to express ourselves. They were they ones who've helped us shape from a mere creature that was given something called as life to the person we are today. They are our first trusted counselors or teachers. Over a period in time, we start to gain all necessary qualities and skills to take care of ourselves and lead the way independently.

To be successful in life, its really important to do two things - learn the best practices and follow them. So how does one get to learn the best practices? Do those "Life's Best Practices for Dummies" kind of books help? Well, this is where the mentor steps in. A mentor is one who comes with a lot more experience and knowledge to don the role of a teacher or a trusted friend. The word mentor takes root from the Greek mythology.

Mentors are those who've walked the way, been there, done that. In the course of their travel, they amass so many learnings from successes and failures and build the journal of best practices. Successful mentors are those who can efficiently help their mentees by being able to observe them and clearly communicate to them in the same wavelength. Successful mentors can understand and foresee their mentees' actions and appropriately give them the right advice.

In career and in personal life, a mentor can create a noticeable difference - A Positive Change! One need not necessarily have a single mentor. There can be many mentors in one's life - someone who can help you excel in your personal life, someone who can help you identify the right steps towards a successful career growth, someone to help you with your finances and so on.

An ideal mentor is someone who you would like to be like. A good mentor is someone who is trustworthy. Finding a mentor is the first step one needs to take to walk the path to ultimate success. So, when are you going to find a mentor for yourself?

Rocky . Pasta . Running

That might sound very intriguing. Who is Rocky and what does Rocky have to do with Pasta and Running? That reminds me that there is something really common that the three share...Rocky the "Italian" Stallion, Pasta the "Italian" food and running!....well..the "Italian" marathons in Turin (April) and Pisa (May).

Let me first put things right...Rocky was the movie I saw last Saturday, Pasta was the dinner I had last Sunday and Running was what I did the next morning (6th ECR Run with the Chennai Runners). Argh! What am I trying to say? Read on...

I've always been wanting to do a run with a good mind frame. And, last week has turned out to be the most satisfying of all. I've been a fan of Sylvestor Stallone all my life, and have always enjoyed watching his action movies. On Saturday, the 22nd March, HBO showcased four (of five) parts of Rocky, the famous 'cult' movie of the 1980's. The whole day was devoted to Sylvestor Stallone, with the four parts of Rocky followed by Night Hawks and Cliff Hanger.

So whats great about that? Well, the more interesting observation is yet to follow...

The character of Rocky Balboa has been a great inspiration for me for a very long time. The grit with which he trains for his bouts and championships, overcoming all challenges in personal life is something one should learn from. The theme of Rocky ("Gonna Fly Now") originally created by Bill Conti is the best ever music I've heard that totally brings to life, the emotions in a passionate and determined sportsman.

Having heard this music for close to 12 hours (almost) continuously that day, I started to breathe the Rocky way. That night (Saturday night) I hit the bed (forcefully!..to forgo watching Night Hawks and Cliff Hanger) by about 2300Hrs. I had to get up at 0245Hrs the following day to get ready for my 18 mile run. I had my pasta dinner at about 2000Hrs and my mind was totally prepared, and I was bubbling with energy. I could have run all night!

My run turned out to be one of the best ones I've had ever so far. It started to drizzle when I started the run at 0530Hrs, and it kept varying between a drizzle and a constant rain till about 0800Hrs. My shoes were heavy soaked in water and I had to eventually run a bit slower. But nevertheless, my bodymind was completely determined to finish the run and surprisingly, I never felt the tiredness.

This is yet another example of what tiredness is all about. Its the tiredness is in the mind that paves the road to failure rather than the physical body tiredness.

The mind is all-powerful, and its the supreme controller that takes charge of the human. Just spend some little time for yourself to take back control of yourself. The power of creativity, innovation and winning is all inside you...you just need to discover it the right way!
- Yours truely

Like how Nike's mantra goes - "Just do it!"