I'm uncertain if they actually let me be a mentor. I don't get paid to do it. I just pick my favorite little sequins and I give them career advice. Whether they like it or not. So realistically nobody lets me be a mentor, I just am one.
Regardless of how I got here - I'm here. I've got my flock of little future world leaders and I spend some of my free time imparting my wisdom upon their fresh little minds. I still kind of feel like an imposter giving business advice to anyone - but I also oddly buy into my own product. I've had this crazy nontraditional journey that I'm sure isn't over - and I love that I can provide insight into achieving your dreams without having to follow the rules.
That being said - I'm really picky about who I gift my wisdom to. I place high value on my brand and so if you're associated with me and my brand - you've got to measure up. I'm happy to gift 30 minutes of my time to speak to someone about the industry and briefly offer some advice - but should I invest anymore time than that - I've got to believe in who you are and where you're headed. If I'm adopting you as my little sequin of the future -I'm committing time and energy and resources into helping you succeed - so you've got to earn that trust and investment.
Mentorship is important to me. The people I bring into my business world are important to me. It gives me a lot of fulfillment to be able to build these sequins up and encourage them to be their best selves, follow their dreams, and never settle. And although a lot of them tell me they can't get where they are without me - I can't grow without them. They motivate me to work hard, keep my passions first, and that I can have it all. They also remind me of where I came from. They remind me to never forget what I've been through and where I'm going. They continue to inspire me and teach me as much as I teach them.
If you're not a mentor, become one. If you don't have a mentor, get one. But be picky. The mentor/mentee relationship is sacred. It's trusting your goals, dreams, insecurities, past, present, and future - with someone who you should aim to build a lifelong relationship with. And its not a way to get ahead. It's not a connection you use to get somewhere. It's a bond that is supposed to grow who you are as a person in business and in life. It's not to be taken lightly and if you do it right, it can change your life.