The topic of today’s blog is mentors. We should all have them, and more importantly, we should all be them. I was blessed enough to have several while growing up in the 80s. I had my parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles. I also had terrific coaches, teachers and pastors. Once I was a little older, I was blessed with a great first boss. These mentors taught me, encouraged me, and kept me on the right path as much as they could.

And you would expect that, right? Your family is going to have your back. Coaches and teachers and pastors want to make you a better you. That’s why they assume these roles. And bosses have a vested interest in us because we’re a reflection of them. But mentors come in all shapes and sizes and don’t necessarily have to be related to you or have a leadership role in your life. They just have to care about someone and want to steer that person in the right direction.

One mentor I had during my wild teenage years was a gentleman named Jeff Mitchell. He was my barber. And when he reads this, he will probably spit out his coffee. I don’t know if he ever considered himself a mentor to me, but he most certainly was. He was the popular barber in town and most times there would be an hour-long wait just to get a trim from him. But folks would wait. They’d wait because he was a terrific barber, but also because he was just fun to be around. He made every person that walked into his shop feel special. I remember a few times when it was standing room only and he’d invite me back to sit in the empty barber chair next to the occupied one, on which he was working. He had a way of making me and everyone else feel like a VIP while we were there.

Jeff would cut up and tell jokes with my high school friends and me while we were there. But I also remember the times when he would talk to me about what was happening in my life and offer words of wisdom or inspiration. And I distinctly remember a time or two that he let me know that the choices I was making would probably not end well for me and offered other options to consider.

In short, Jeff emulated what it means to be a mentor. He let me know that I was important to him. He celebrated with me when times were good and he encouraged me when times were not so good. And through it all, he taught me. Sometimes by what he said, but almost always by how he acted. That’s something I’ve never forgotten. We are judged much more by what we do rather than by what we say.

The point I’m taking a long time to make here is that anybody can (and should) be a mentor. Our role in life doesn’t make us one. Our desire to help someone other than ourselves does. Jeff wasn’t family, but he acted like an older brother to me. Jeff wasn’t a teacher, but I ended up learning a lot from him. Jeff wasn’t a coach, but he encouraged me to always give my best. Jeff wasn’t a pastor, but he helped to reinforce a love of God in my life. Jeff was my barber. Our relationship could have ended with a weekly haircut (yes…I had my hair cut weekly back then. I couldn’t stand an unruly flat top). But it didn’t. Jeff went from being my barber to being my friend to being one of my favorite mentors.

And that’s what’s exciting about being a mentor. Any of us are qualified to be one. Don’t wait until you have a certain role in life. Jump in with both feet now! Don’t wait until you’re more mature. For some of us, we peaked in high school. We’re not maturing anymore! All it takes is a willingness to spend a little time and effort on someone else. No matter where you are in your life right now or where your past has taken you, you’re qualified to mentor someone. Sometimes the rockier the past, the better the mentor. You can help others avoid the same mistakes you made. I have a good friend who is personifying that theory right now. Yes…that’s a cheap plug for Matt Hirschberg. You can read more about him in our best-selling book, Bad Medicine. Matt has made some mistakes in his past and is spending his time these days mentoring young men and women so they don’t travel down the same road he did.

If you don’t have a mentor, find one. We should all be Still Learning (another cheap plug for another one of my books that is the opposite of a best seller. Please buy a few. I have like three thousand more copies collecting dust in my basement). And if you aren’t a mentor to anyone else, find someone to help. What better way to leave a worthwhile legacy than to help someone else become a better person.

Thank you to all the mentors I’ve had in my life (too many to name in this blog). I may have never grown up, but you all kept me out of jail. So…I say, “Job Well Done”!