Mentorship. It matters.

Mentorship - Friend or Foe?

No matter the career field we choose or the job we take on, it is not without saying that the journey getting there and the journey that continues once in our chosen profession gets any easier. In fact, I would challenge each of you to think back on that journey. I bet when you stop and think of it, you had some pretty influential people in your life. Maybe it was Mom or Dad, Sister or Brother, or even a colleague, or simply someone you looked up to. Not only the drive you have for the profession you chose gets you to the next level, but I would almost bet you had some influence along the way. Mentorship or whatever you want to call it, is truly a driving force that guides us down a path of unknown. It helps the journey become a little less scary and at least in my experience, alot less stressful.

Have you ever wondered if the mentorship you are getting is a one way street or do you believe the mentor is equally engaged in learning from you to? Think about it. When your new, your energetic, dumb to the experiences that lie ahead, you have so much energy that just maybe, you are relighting a fire inside of the one you look up to? Just maybe, you are making them smile again for two reasons. You are giving them purpose to help and the desire to feel what they did so many years before when they were where you are.

Don't stop the journey

Over the years, I have came across many people whom I have looked up to. Some were in my life for a reason and some came into my life for just a season . Either way, no matter if the experience was a positive or negative one, I learned from each of them. Some from what I aspire to become and others what I desire not to be. Even after 24 years in public safety, I desire to do so many other things and I am always looking for those individuals in my story, who I truly connect with, deeply resonate with my goals and desires and hold a similar vision to my core values and how I approach my life both personally and professionally.

Believe it or not, this has been the hardest path for me. Little did I know, the last couple of years, teaching myself resilience, self discipline, and self care are some of the most important traits and advise that any mentor should always live by for me and show it through examples. It is hard to make new connections as you grow in your career, because so many people start looking up to you to be their guiding light. When you appear to be a really strong person on the outside, more people tend to think, "Hey, he's got this." And on the flip side, I have had to learn to ask questions and be inquisitive as I was when I started my career so that way folks see I am still desiring the mentorship of others.

Connection - Don't stop now.

I can't say I know the algorithm of when the next mentor will show up in my life. Is it just one person who holds the key to the knowledge I need or is it now at a point my life and career where it is a consolidated effort of all of my life experiences and diverse career background, that I gain valuable information and learn from it all? My granddad use to say to me, If you don't ask you won't every know and if you do ask and the answer is no, just remember no is not forever. Why do I say this? I say it because we shouldn't be afraid to ask for help. Remember, the ones you are asking to help guide and grow you didn't get where they are in their lives on their own. The fact is, if they say no or simply dont appear to have a driving force of interest in your career growth and or personal growth, then they aren't worth knowing. It doesn't make them bad people, it just makes them people who shouldn't be a daily thought in your life.

Own It. Don't expect anyone else to believe in you as much as you believe in yourself.

Believing in yourself is the most important thing. We all have the nay sayers in our lives. Ignore that noice. Set your goals, know your self-worth, recognize what you have to offer and areas you can improve in and manage it as if your life depended on it.

You have a choice in life. Either overcome the life you were given by making a life you choose or allow life to dictate your outcome. No one ever said, hey Judson, life is a peace of cake. Think back to when we were kids, we desired to be grown ups so badly and our parents, grandparents, etc would also remind us that we should stay a kid as long as we can. Man.... I so wish that was advise I would have listened to or had the opportunity to apply more than I did......

No matter the life you were born into, what matters is the desire to keep going, to keep learning, to keep pushing through the bullshit life throws our way. Consistent, forward momentum is what will get you across the finish line. Remember, your not running a race with anyone but yourself. Everyday you wake up you should desire to be a better you than you were the day before inching one step closer to the life you dream of. Every night when you go to bed, you should lay your head down with the thought you did what you could with the building blocks you had that day, to make your life better than it was the day before.

When you want to succeed as much as you want to breathe, you will.

What do you think makes a great leader? A leader doesn't have to have a title of a leader to be successful. To me a leader is defined by their characteristics that resognate with my beliefs, my work ethic and how they respond to situations when faced with personal, public and private challenges in life.

Never Stop Learning

Learning is a non stop journey. It is not a one time event. Think about when you finished your undergrad. Boy.. you thought to yourself I am on top of the world. That was until you started in your chosen profession and realized that four year degree taught you what you didn't know which was about everything you thought you did. As we grow, we learn things about ourselves we didn't know. We become aware of people who left a negative and or a positivie impact in our lives and we continually attract people into our lives that want to provide guidance and others who want to stop us in our tracts. Remember, the only race your running is one with yourself. So the people who are trying to distract you from your goals, those are the people you smile, wave and hit the gas and keep on trucking. Four or five years from now, they will still be the way they were, doing the same thing they were doing and you will be heading on down that road of the life you chose to live and not the one you were given at birth.

"Remember the only race you are running, is one against yourself. Desire to be a better person than you were yesterday and everyday inch closer to the goal you set to become the person and the life you wish to have."

Here is to 40 more years of service.

Judson Smith, BBA, MHA, Paramedic