Guest Blog by
Marisa Donnelly
To find out more about this Brave Strong Girl Mentor, simply visit her mentor profile right here!
When you’re young, you (unfortunately) spend a good amount of your life wishing you could be somebody else. I remember being four and obsessing over my mom’s every move. Then I was six and taping Britney Spears posters to my bedroom door. Then I was twelve and idolizing Avril Lavigne, blasting her ‘S8ter Boi’ soundtrack on full volume while I got ready for school.
There’s something about our youth that is so impressionable, so eager to soak up everything we can from the people who seemingly have it better than us, have it all together, have the ‘dream’ sort of life.
As I’ve grown, my silly obsessions have been replaced with longings to grow my business, be a better and more present mother to my stepson, and expand my creative network.
Even as an adult, I’ve been longing for mentorship, for connection, for guidance in this (often isolating and difficult) journey of life.
And truly, no matter how young or old you are, no matter the story you’ve written or the path you’ve walked, and no matter the things you believe or follow—we all need mentorship. We all need someone’s hand to hold, shoulder to lean on, or mind to brainstorm with.
Mentorship brings us closer to others—and to ourselves.
When we work with someone (in both the mentor and ‘mentoree’ seat) we uncover things about ourselves that we perhaps wouldn’t have found alone. We confess the pain and longing on our hearts, we break down our walls, and we recognize that it’s okay to trust people and be honest.
Mentorship heals old wounds.
As we process our emotions with someone else, we recognize where we hurt. We allow someone else to see us vulnerable, to ‘poke’ the bruises and stir up something inside of us that we were trying to bury. Although it hurts, we begin to talk, to process, and eventually, to heal.
Mentorship empowers us to new heights.
In mentorship with someone, you realize that there is far more that you are capable of. Whether you’ve been denying yourself the truth of your potential or you’ve been afraid to take the next step, when you work with and alongside someone, you become filled with joy, power, and purpose for the places you can go.
Mentorship opens doors.
Life is all about collaboration. I say this as a mother who has learned the house doesn’t function without everyone’s cooperation. I say this as a business owner who has recognized her flaws and shortcomings in running her own one-woman show. And I say this as a human, recognizing that the people I’ve coached and been coached by have opened doors, have built connections, and have created opportunities I didn’t realize were possible.