I believe in the value of
mentorship. I’m blessed to have a handful of mentors and also be a mentor to different
young women in my life. T.D. Jakes once said, “Choose your mentors a la carte.”
I’ve got older mentors, younger ones, and even some who are the same age as me.
And what I love about them all is that they each have something different to
offer, and more importantly, can reciprocate what’s poured. I used to believe
that having just one mentor was best, until I realized the benefits of having others
from different walks of life, in my life. It’s incredible how much experience, guidance,
insight and value mentors possess. They can provide trinkets of wisdom that can
help guide you towards success, and even show you how to weather different
storms and challenges you may face in your life, and teach you how to glean important
lessons from those challenges. If you don’t have a mentor or any mentors, I
definitely encourage being open to explore who the ones are you should be
connecting with. These kinds of relationships are ones that can change your
life. From personal experience, I’ve found that having the opportunity to be
invested in, and in return, have the opportunity to invest in others, is a blessing.
As you embark on your career, I want you to know some things and stay woke about what you’ll be up against. Please understand that no matter what, you have value, and you matter. Always remember that. As progressive as this world and different workplaces may seem, every workplace has a culture. You’ll be in different places where a lot of people who don’t look like you will be in the room. But know that you belong in those rooms too. Spend some time observing and studying those spaces and learn as much as you can. There will be people you work with who will make presumptions about your competence, education, and ability to fulfill your job duties. There will be more who will think less of you because of the color of your skin and try to disqualify you the moment you make an error, mistake, or ask questions about things you may not understand. This will all feel uncomfortable and you may get insecure, feel like you’re all by yourself, and think you don’t belong there, but ride it out...