Students Teach Too

On Wednesday, one of my mentors from work pulled me aside and told me that they resigned.  I did not expect it, but suspected that something was going to change.  Let me explain.

In the past several years, I have had many opportunities provided to me to improve my skills, to advance in the company, to do new things.  In the last year or so, I moved to a position where I worked along with and above my mentors and spent significant time with the stakeholders within my company.  From this vantage point, I got to see my mentors in a new way.  In some cases, they were the leaders that I always thought they would be.  In others, I found that, like the mirrors, 'images maybe closer than they appear'. 

I saw when mistakes were being made.  Like a devoted lamb, I warned.  I gave opinions of caution, suggestions of redirection.  I was ignored.  At the time, I felt dismissed and unaccepted.  Now, I know that I was right.  However, here I am, correct, vindicated in my convictions, and I still feel like shit.  Did I stutter? Did I not say the right words?  Had my mentor taken my advice, they would not be resigning.  I find myself mourning the mentor relationship, not because I couldn't learn more, but because my mentor couldn't learn the lessons that they taught me, from me. 

So my last lesson from my mentor:  Listen to the mentee.  If you teach them well, they might actually have something to teach you. 
How does this relate to the health journey?  Not all the experts make all the best decisions.  Sometimes the ones who are the students, the practitioners, have the best advice.  I have learned so much from all of you, just because I know that you have practiced what you preached.  You pay attention.  You are honest when something goes bust.  You can take it when 'anonymous' comments with livid harshness.  You are all my mentors.  I look forward to tomorrow's lesson.