Personal Growth Mentoring Can Help People Find Meaning In Life

By Carolyn Hayes


While there are still millions of people all over the world that struggle to survive from day to day, many more millions lead secure lives. They do not worry about food or shelter. Many will even describe them as privileged. Yet so many of these people are not happy with their own lives. They suspect that there is more to life and they desire to find out what it is. For help in this area, personal growth mentoring may just be the answer.

Looking for deeper meaning and striving towards self fulfilment s one thing, but most people do not know where to begin or what to do. Some people drift towards alternative life styles, or religion, or charity work. Many of them do not find what they are seeking, because they actually do not know what it is that they desire. This is where the services of a reputable mentor can be of immense value.

It is important to remember that no mentor worth his salt will prescribe to his client. The mentor is not a teacher, but rather a personal coach that can help the client to achieve self actualization. The client must maintain responsibility for all his actions and decisions and the mentor will at best be a guide and a sound board. This is a very important role and it can certainly help people to restructure their thoughts.

The first step recommended by most mentors is to go through the difficult and often painful process of total self discovery. Most people tend to see themselves in a very specific light and they often do not even want to dig deeper into their own personalities. This is a necessary process, however, if one is to discover the areas that will eventually lead to higher levels of self fulfilment.

Identifying areas where self development is necessary or desirable is important, but the next step is to set goals that will bring about those changes that the client long for. Goals need to be specific. It is no use setting a goal to be more involved in community work, for example. The goal must be more specific and specify the how and where of the issue.

Even the very best and realistic objectives are no good if some plans are not activated to ensure that they will be achieved. The mentor will help his client to draw up realistic plans that consist of a number of smaller steps that will eventually lead to the achievement of the objective. In this way the client is continually motivated by achieving each small step of a definite plan.

The relationship between a mentor and his client is special. The client must be able to fully trust his mentor, even with his deepest secrets and desires. The mentor has to honour the confidentiality of the relationship and he has to be able to relate to his client. If this cannot be achieved, it may be best to find another professional.

Man will always strive to be better and happier. The desire for self actualization is not an unhealthy thing. People that experience self fulfilment are more mature and productive. They are more aware of their environments and they are more like to make a positive contribution to society.




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