"The Greatest Gift You Can Give"

There is a statement that I learned a long time ago. That statement was, “You don't know something is till you teach it.”

Mentoring somebody and being able to teach incredibly valuable insights to somebody might be the greatest pleasure I've ever had.?

You can give someone a watch, a ring, a computer, a car. It might change their life a little bit. But if you can play a vital role in helping become better at what they do, that might be one of the greatest gifts that you can give and receive.?

We all have the capacity to do it and I really feel that more people should be a mentor to someone, especially when you’re my age and after you’ve really weathered through a few storms.?

I know I always seem to give credit to my Grandpa Vic, but he was one of my first true mentors. He was a blue collar, real salt of the earth, gentleman that taught me that you must be there for the people around you. He was the guy that you could call, and he'd be right there. He was a real “Johnny on the Spot”.?

Allen Ralston (1937-2022) was probably the most prominent mentor in my life. He was essentially an additional father figure to me. This soft-spoken gentleman had a smile that would melt your heart but didn’t have any time for bullshit. Everything was direct and to the point. Nothing left to ambiguity. Nothing left to chance.?

He really taught me how to be fair and that everybody had to win. If somebody walked away from a negotiation feeling they had been taken advantage of, they would remember that for the rest of their lives and it might come back to haunt you...?

We must have empathy. In those negotiations, whether it be personal or professional, we must really have empathy for the ones sitting on the other side of us.?

Mentoring is a way of giving back. Mentoring is a way of maybe helping people not make the same stupid mistakes you’ve made before. It’s a way to widen your own horizons to make your world bigger. It's made me more appreciative. It's made me more understanding. It’s made me a better human being.?

I’m extremely lucky to have been able to mentor Roya Javaherchi . I will tell you that the Roya I met versus the Roya I started mentoring today, they're a thousand years apart.?

I simply encouraged her. I recognized the true potential of her product and advised her to be more vocal about it. Roya will give me credit for a lot of things, yet I don't deserve credit for it because she did the work. I was just there to guide her along the way.?

I’m better because of Grandpa Vic. I'm better because of Allen Ralston. I'm better because of Roya.

Trust me, being a mentor is a gift to you. You touch people's lives. They touch yours.?

I can't go back and pay my grandfather back. I can't go back and pay Allen back. But what I can do it pay it forward and pass it on to someone else. It’s really a powerful gift to you and the other person.

If you’ve been approached about being a mentor, don’t even think twice about it. Just do it!

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In memory of Allen Ralston (1937-2022). To a life well lived. Well done, my friend.

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