I'm Your Mentor Not Your Decision Maker

I'm Your Mentor Not Your Decision Maker

You may or may not know that I have a very small Personal Mentoring practice. I'm not a doctor, I'm a mentor. A doctor is book trained - I'm life trained. If you've been reading my blogs you know I've had a very complex life with many ups and downs. If you've been reading my blogs you know I've had a rich career and worked and managed many different departments in the High Tech field.

In my late thirties I turned my life around by focusing on MY happiness. I changed jobs for happiness. I divorced twice, giving up financial security, for MY happiness. Yes, I'm a very good Mentor because I'm life trained.

My clients come in all ages and all different backgrounds. When I first meet them, I ask them: "why are you here." Their answers are specific, but their real issues are complex. "How do I get a better job" is their answer, but the real issue is they're not happy. After probing (sometimes for months) they realize there are things going on inside them that is holding them back from finding the happiness they deserve.

Once they've come to grips with the fact that the issue is them not the outside world (like their boss, their career, their spouse, their family, their friends, etc.), they look to me to fix the problem. That's when they get the hard truth that my job is to make them "see" themselves and what they can change to create a better and happier life.

It's kind of scary for them when they realize I'm Your Mentor Not Your Decision Maker. It's kind of scary for them when they realize they have the power to make the tough decisions to create a happier life. It's kind of scary for them when they realize they must change their attitude from: "I would be happier if "THEY" would stop treating me this way" to: "this is my problem and I need to stop blaming others and start making hard decisions to change my life."

Nobody wants to go through a divorce. Nobody wants to risk job security to change a job that would be more fulfilling. Nobody wants to get rid of friends or family members that are bring them down with their negative energy. However, these are the kind of decisions my clients have to make to change their lives for the better.

As a Mentor who cares deeply for my clients, I wish I could make these decisions for them, but:

I'm Your Mentor Not Your Decision Maker