Mentality Monsters

Lots of people ask me what a mentor is. 

Jürgen Klopp referred to his squad as mentality monsters the other day, and that’s what I’m aiming for with the young people I work with.

There are certain qualities, that I did not know by the time I finished my education, which I now depend on.

Working harder for longer does not necessarily mean you’ll do better. Agreeing with someone doesn’t always make you more likeable. Feelings, good or bad, are not permanent even if it seems like they are.

I would appreciate my life much less if I hadn’t come across my own mentors (see images). More than anything they have granted me permission to do things I thought I could not / was too scared to try.

A verse of Tracy Chapman’s once helped me find the courage to quit a job that was making me miserable. Bon Iver helped me through heartbreak. Sufjan Stevens taught me how to grieve. 

Those are clearly adult issues, but the skills required for young people are very similar: inspiring self-reflection so that choices serve their goals and aspirations.

By Jack Dolbey