mentoring
I love talking to people who aren't my age.
I got to have lunch today with one of my new favorite people, Matt Tullos. He's works where I do, and we've gotten to know each other through random circumstances and projects. Today I asked him a question:
Why doesn't our workplace have a mentoring program?
So many businesses have these great mentoring programs where the new employees come in and get paired with some people who have been there much longer. I know I made plenty of mistakes as a brash new employee five years ago. I would have loved to of had someone to take me under their wing and help me out a bit. Thankfully I've been there long enough now to have made these relationships on my own, and I can go out and call people like Matt a friend and someone I can learn from.
So Matt and I had lunch and we got to share and dream and talk about how these jobs of ours should work. I learned about a few of his stuggles, he learned a few of mine. The excitement in his soul when he talked about this church he was working with, refreshing. It was good, and real, and easy.
This evening I got to spend some quality time with one of the guys who goes to my church, Joe. We sat out in the cold and just talked and were real and open about a number of issues. We talked about more real things in that hour or so than I have with some friends I've know for months/years. There's something so much more satisfying about talking about the more real things - the spiritual, the humanity - than talking about entertainment and assignments.
Sitting around with a group I just opened up and asked one of the girls, "What's your deep, dark secret? What is it you're struggling with right now" - and she answered. She offered herself to the group... and we all went around and were honest and said "here's what's on my mind right now". But Joe had the guts and boldness to say "Ok Aaron, you shared about this. But what about this, and this, and this - how are those things?" And so we talked and were open and choose to be real - and it was easy to be real.
I love being able to just talk with someone about things less mundane. Give me your real opinion, your real sturggles and, perhaps most importantly, your real joys. Tell me what makes you smile, what makes you prideful, and what dream you want to have tonight.
God made all of us, and then honored us by saying "Go, play. Interact. You are worthy to be a part of the life of my other creations. Enjoy it." It feels so good to be able to honor other people and say "You story is worthy for me to hear; and you are worthy to hear my story."
Maybe that's what mentoring really is; honoring and listening and sharing.
I got to have lunch today with one of my new favorite people, Matt Tullos. He's works where I do, and we've gotten to know each other through random circumstances and projects. Today I asked him a question:
Why doesn't our workplace have a mentoring program?
So many businesses have these great mentoring programs where the new employees come in and get paired with some people who have been there much longer. I know I made plenty of mistakes as a brash new employee five years ago. I would have loved to of had someone to take me under their wing and help me out a bit. Thankfully I've been there long enough now to have made these relationships on my own, and I can go out and call people like Matt a friend and someone I can learn from.
So Matt and I had lunch and we got to share and dream and talk about how these jobs of ours should work. I learned about a few of his stuggles, he learned a few of mine. The excitement in his soul when he talked about this church he was working with, refreshing. It was good, and real, and easy.
This evening I got to spend some quality time with one of the guys who goes to my church, Joe. We sat out in the cold and just talked and were real and open about a number of issues. We talked about more real things in that hour or so than I have with some friends I've know for months/years. There's something so much more satisfying about talking about the more real things - the spiritual, the humanity - than talking about entertainment and assignments.
Sitting around with a group I just opened up and asked one of the girls, "What's your deep, dark secret? What is it you're struggling with right now" - and she answered. She offered herself to the group... and we all went around and were honest and said "here's what's on my mind right now". But Joe had the guts and boldness to say "Ok Aaron, you shared about this. But what about this, and this, and this - how are those things?" And so we talked and were open and choose to be real - and it was easy to be real.
I love being able to just talk with someone about things less mundane. Give me your real opinion, your real sturggles and, perhaps most importantly, your real joys. Tell me what makes you smile, what makes you prideful, and what dream you want to have tonight.
God made all of us, and then honored us by saying "Go, play. Interact. You are worthy to be a part of the life of my other creations. Enjoy it." It feels so good to be able to honor other people and say "You story is worthy for me to hear; and you are worthy to hear my story."
Maybe that's what mentoring really is; honoring and listening and sharing.