The Ulitmate Influencer

Mentorship-

Today we have all these people both men and women who are calling themselves Coaches. Many of them are coaching on business success and how to be more affective in running your own business. While there is nothing wrong with this, and I want to make it perfectly clear I am not hating on those who are business Coaches, in fact, I believe there is a space for this, and I believe accountability is good.

These business Coaches often help people be more creative in how they spend their time and resources in their business. How to be more effective with what they have, how to pour into the staff or the team that they have developed. I think this concept is inherently good, because I believe it is a Biblical principle.

A number of these business Coaches are Coaches because they found a product or a system that they became passionate about it. It made a marked difference in their life. Many of them were struggling somehow, and this “thing” whatever “it” is the “thing” that became the answer they needed. Over time they realized that this system or product became the answer they needed, and they just can’t keep it to themselves. They realized that if this worked for them in such a significant way, surely it would work for others in significant ways.

Many of these are people, certainly not all, but many are network marketers or are in some type of sales, and they have found this product that has changed their world, and they just can’t be quiet about it. It literally is wrapped in every fabric of their being, it comes oozing out of them very naturally. In fact, often times when you’re talking to them, and they are sharing with you, you don’t walk away thinking, “they are trying to sell me something,” often you walk away from these conversations at the most thinking I want that, and at the least being encouraged and excited for them.

Recently, I found myself talking to the Lord, saying, God, I sure wish I could find my passion and my mission to life so I was able to do something I was passionate about daily, and it came oozing out of my being naturally so that people wouldn’t think I was trying to “sell” them something, but yet were excited and encouraged and perhaps wanted what I had to offer.

After I had this conversation, with the Lord, I felt Him to speak, well, don’t you have that already? You have me, what could anyone be more passionate about than having life with me. I sat on that thought for a while, and let it ruminate. As I created space for this thought, a couple things came to mind.

First, God showed me I do have something I am passionate about and something that is the driving force behind 90% of my conversations, that passion is what guides my calendar, my finances, my decisions, and what brings me the most fulfillment I have ever experienced. This passion is something I awaken with each morning and go to sleep thinking about each night. This passion is something that is so weaved into every thread of my life, it just comes out, it’s very natural and I don’t have to work at it.

Given enough time to ruminate in this space, I realized it’s not even something I can take credit for, it is something that is God given a gift HE gave to me. It’s a passion that I may not ever make any money as I share it, it’s a passion that I saw in other woman, and said I want that and now years later, I realize I do have it, and I have not acknowledged it.

Often, I have been too busy trying to figure out what my passion is that I didn’t even see the passion right in front of my nose. It was already there, I often time was sharing it, but not to the extent that I should be or that could be.

So, what is this passion? Mentorship of women.

Why? Because someone took time to mentor me, develop me, listen to me, to look over my foolishness as a young wife and mom, a young minister and teacher of the gospel. Someone who took the time to teach me the value of prayer and praying for someone right then no matter where I was grocery store, gas stations, shopping plaza, or wherever I was when someone said could you pray for fill in the blank. No problem, “Let’s just pray right now,” my mentor would say.

Not to just say I will be praying, but to pray on the spot, to get out of my comfort zone and to talk to Jesus about this person concern with the person. To move beyond stumbling over my words and the fear of what others would think, to move to I am going to pray with this person and their concern right here, right now no matter how many times I stumble over my own words.

Mentorship is no doubt the one thing that has helped me become the person I am today. Mentorship or in today’s terms “Coaching” is something that is viewed as a positive thing. However, in the simplest form mentorship is influence-a informal teacher, and whether we want to admit it or not we are mentoring or influencing someone. And we are being mentored or influenced by others.

Though mentorship should be a positive thing, it can just as easily be reversed in our lives and impact us negatively. When I think of this I think of the Bible verse 1Corinthians 15:33 Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.” There are well meaning people I have allowed in my life, and unfortunately, allowed their influence in my life to take me down paths I should have never gone. Paths of toxicity, gossip, corrupt conversations, bitterness, and hatred that I allowed to be stirred up in me, that would never have been present had I not allow that individual to have influence in my life. I had been misled, I had allowed mentorship to impact me for the negative and the fruit in my life was evident.

I think if we all really took a honest look at our lives, we would recognize times and people in our lives that misled us. As, I recount these times in my life, I was either not in a good head space, or perhaps I had a nudging inside me by the Holy Spirit that was telling me I needed to take a break or give space between me and that person.

Sometimes, I have followed that nudging and other times I have not. However, in God’s graciousness, even when I didn’t obey the nudging He has often “kicked me out of the nest” so to speak, and helped me get on the right path, no matter how painful it was at the time, for this I am grateful.

Mentorship is something that I want to leave a legacy for my children and grandchildren. I want to be known as a woman who took time to practice mentorship in a way similar to Jesus.

Jesus ultimately was the first “network marketer,” the first “influencer,” the first “business coach.” HE was the one who believed in building relationships with people and then sharing with then God’s plan and how much they were valued and loved.

HE was never corrupt, never left one walking away from a conversation saying, “that didn’t feel right.” No, He was quite the opposite. His conversations with people were ones that were encouraging, healing, and helpful.

Jesus was a listener, even though He did have all the answers, He didn’t approach people that way, HE was humble. He invited people to come work with Him, beside Him, and learn from Him. He influenced them and ultimately told His disciples, “I must go so the Holy Spirit may dwell in you, you are impowered to do my work. You can heal the sick, cast out demons, lead to my love and the life I have for people.” He was the ultimate mentor, coach, influencer a role model I want to follow.

I want my life to emulate Jesus, I want to be the woman who invests in other women, the woman who listens and learns from others. The woman who others walk away from wanting to learn more about Jesus and the life He has to offer. I pray that you want to do this as well. May we be Better Together in mentoring one another towards the path that honors Jesus.