Mentoring Your Mentor - How My Mentees Helped ME!

About a week ago, I got in the car with my best friend for what I thought would be a casual ride to Athens, Georgia to listen her speak to UGA students about strategies for success in their budding journalism careers.  I had been dealing with a lot of personal and professional stress and looked forward to a break from my routine.  But in typical fashion I brought my laptop with me anyway - is there a support group for work-a-holics? (I mean look at the time stamp on this post! I need to shut it off sometimes.)

After the presentation, my friend alerted the students that I was a public relations professional and would be available for comments and insight for those in the room with an interest in public relations.  The first student to approach was Demitria and then shortly a small crowd of about 6 students started to form and I had an audience. I spoke to them about much of what this blog will elaborate on and as I spoke something came over me.  I could not stop talking. I was having a Jerry McGuire moment. You know the one where he is up all night typing his philosophy on the ethics sports agents and their  relationship with the athletes.  The lessons I had learned in the business of both entertainment and public relations were spouting out beyond my control.  I found myself sharing more than I probably should - but they needed to know the realities of the industry.  No one told me these things. I now I think I would be better off if I had a ME in my life back then.  My career has been largely a story of a self-taught expert (is that an oxymoron?) that has sank/swam playing by my own rules.  

Talking to those students made me realize I actually have something to say.  I have a unique perspective on success in the industry.  And to continue the Jerry McGuire analogy, this blog is the equivalent to his trip to Kinko's when Jerry copies his mission statement and distributes it to every inbox in the company.  Like the character in the movie, I grabbed my goldfish and walked out with my passion for my profession in tact but looking for the promise of something more meaningful in my work.  But the ending to my story remains to be told.

The overwhelming response from each of the students was the exactly the same, "I learned more in 20 minutes talking to you than I have learned in my classes, internships and volunteer organizations combined".  

I'm dedicating this blog to my first three mentees, Demetria, Brianna and Loni for mentoring their mentor!