5 Benefits of Mentoring

1. Older adults who mentor are 3 times happier than those who don’t mentor! Harvard Business Review (2016) article states: “older people who mentor and support younger people in work and in life are three times as likely to be happy as those who fail to engage in this way”.

2. Aging Well – those who mentor age better. Harvard’s 75 year-long Grant study reveals that to age well, we must have meaningful human connections. Mentors have meaningful connections with others.

3. Legacy – Mentors are able to choose the values, beliefs, culture, skills, and knowledge they pass on to others. We become symbolically immortal.

4. Connections – Mentors develop and foster meaningful connections with individuals, communities and the world. Mentors are able to see life outside themselves, and as a bigger part of the world. This allows us to see our role in a valid, worthwhile, productive way. Our lives have relevance and we don’t feel alone.

5. Purpose – Mentoring gives our lives purpose. All of our knowledge, skills, values and culture that we accumulate aren’t lost with us. We pass them on, and our lives have meaning and purpose when we are able to pass them on.

It is never too late to start mentoring. Anyone can mentor! Successful mentors from a variety of backgrounds have shared their stories of how mentoring has been a benefit to their lives. Watch and read stories of successful mentors on The Mentor Project and share your mentoring story!  Join us on Facebook!