Why You Need a Mentor in Your Life
Blind spots and mentorship — the essential combination
It would be naive to think that while cars have blind spots in their rearview mirrors, we are any different as humans. There’s likely a blind spot in your life right now that has gone undetected and adversely affects your intended goals.
In this article, I will first define blind spots (both literally and figuratively). Then, I will discuss the actual value of a mentor in your life in being able to detect blind spots. Lastly, I will touch on how to find a mentor in your life right now.
What is a Blind Spot?
For those who have ever taken driver’s education, the phrase “blind spot” is likely very familiar. You can probably recall the familiar voice of your driver’s education instructor or a parent or guardian reminding you to check your blind spot continually. For those who don’t know the definition, it’s the area toward the rear of your vehicle that the side rearview mirrors do not effectively show when looking in the mirror.
Similar in idea to the definition of a blind spot for a vehicle, consider the below definition of a blind spot in one’s life:
Unknown outcomes, thoughts, emotions, etc. that can slip into the blind spots of our lives, which cast negative or unintended effects and hinder our ability to achieve our intended goals.
As you can imagine, the scary thing about blind spots is how they can so quickly and unknowingly affect you, undetected.
Protective Measures
Circling back to the vehicle example, there are some solutions in place to reduce the risk of blind spots:
- Blind Spot/Convex Mirrors — An older method, for sure. This solution consists of placing a smaller mirror on your vehicle’s mirror to reflect objects in the blind spot.
- Blind Spot Detectors — A newer method in the most recent iterations of cars, this can consist of either a visual blip showing a vehicle is in the blind spot or can additionally offer sounds or other protective alerts.
- The “Old Fashioned” Method — A non-technological solution is to peek your head around your shoulder quickly and in one motion to visually check the blind spot with your own eyes.
Regardless of the method used to protect vehicles against the risk of blind spots, it is undoubtedly necessary to have a plan of action. If cars and trucks require one of the above identification methods to navigate highways safely, why should we humans be any different in navigating the blind spots of our lives?
Who Can Be Your Mentor and Why?
Let’s start by defining what a mentor can look like for you. A mentor can be your successful manager at work, a respected family member, a trusted friend, and more.
Obtaining a mentor in your life can be accidental or intentional, and I’ve found that sometimes, before you even realize it, you have an ideal mentor right in front of your eyes — which leads to my next question:
Will you embrace it?
That being, will you embrace the mentorship, which can prove more than valuable to your growth in your career or personal life?
It is necessary to find someone who can play a critical role in identifying blind spots in your life, offering advice on your longer-term objectives, and providing solutions to your current circumstances. This mentorship can prove vital in ensuring you continue on your ideal path as an individual, whether personally or professionally.
What Now?
Now that we’ve discussed the benefits of mentorship and why one can be helpful in your life, the next step is to consider whether a mentor is right for you. Again, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to having a mentor-like figure in your life, but one thing is for sure:
It’s better to have people on your team than to go at this thing we call life alone.