The Value of Mentoring

The word 'mentor' is bandied around a lot these days. It's used by coaches, whether they be life, business or otherwise, and used a lot on various websites and in articles published everywhere.

Have you really considered the meaning of this word? When you research its meaning you find this through Answers.com:

1. A wise and trusted counselor or teacher.
2. Mentor Greek Mythology. Odysseus's trusted counselor, in whose guise Athena became the guardian and teacher of Telemachus.

Dictionary.com lists:

1.	a wise and trusted counselor or teacher.

2.	an influential senior sponsor or supporter.

–verb (used without object)

3.	to act as a mentor: She spent years mentoring to junior employees.

–verb (used with object)

4.	to act as a mentor to: The brash young executive did not wish to be mentored by anyone.

Let's go back and revisit Titus 2:4,5 Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.

We can see here that Paul is instructing the older women in the church to act as Mentors, to train (influence) the younger women, to be a wise and trusted counselor or teacher.

For years I've wanted to find someone who could be my mentor but my life has been such that senior women are in my life for a short period of time, I learn from them and move on. I've also sought a Prayer Partner (after reading Stormie OMartian's The Power of a Praying Wife) but a regular partner has eluded me too. However, I've found myself, almost by accident, in a permanent mentoring role to many women worldwide, simply through my business and what I do on a daily basis. The book I wrote and published last year has extended that role and it is my hope that this blog will also birth a new book, as a sequel and extension to the first.

If you haven't read Stormie's book, you can find it linked below.














And you'll find a copy of my book Worth More Than Rubies linked to the image.

Baby Boomer Women Mentoring Others

My previous post was about mentoring other women and who better to do that than a bunch of Baby Boomer women?

Let me introduce you to some friends of mine - you'll find those with blogs in the menu to the left. But you can meet more of them at two sites: BabyBoomerDivas and the full list at EnjoyYourMenopause/Divas.

This is a group of awesome talented and very experienced women in many fields and I am privileged to be a member. Three Aussies to date, the rest are in the US and one of my goals is to get over there to meet them as soon as the opportunity arises. I've put it on God's bill - but that's another story! ;-)

May I encourage you to visit my friends? Perhaps you've in need of advice regarding health, fitness, some soothing words, some great reading, some motherly advice. The list goes on and you'll find it amongst my friends. Enjoy exploring!

P.S. If you hold your mouse over each name in the blogroll you'll see the titles of their blogs which will give you a clue in most cases, what they write about. Enjoy and let me know what you've found that has spoken to your needs!

Mentoring Other Women

Over the course of almost 14 years in business I have mentored hundreds of women worldwide in the setting up of their businesses and balancing business with family.

It hasn't been lost on me that everything I've learnt, struggled with and conquered have been part of the process that God has wanted me to use to help others. It also wasn't lost on me that having a family of 5 daughters put me in an excellent role model position for other mothers worldwide. I have to smile when I get a mother of 1 or 2 ring or email me saying she wants to run a business but doesn't think she can because she's got a child or children. I always respond 'that's ok, I've got 5 and it's not stopped me!'

My recently published book "Worth More Than Rubies: The Value of a Work At Home Mum" gives a sneak peak into my life as a wife, mother and business woman, while looking at that age old model 'The Proverbs 31 Woman'.

It is important for each woman to recognise that as she grows older there is much she has learnt that she can share with others around her - daughters, neices, grandchildren, children of friends, acquaintances, anyone who is younger than her, or perhaps even someone of the same age or older who hasn't had the same experiences.

In the New Testament we are often taught by both Jesus and Paul about mentoring and discipling others, and guiding them in their lives. This is also something that is charged to the Titus 2 woman. We are told to be reverent in the way we live and to urge the younger women to follow our paths. Interesting word 'reverent' and I think it's one that means more to you as you grow older - hopefully gracefully.

..but to teach what is good

Something went awry some years ago. There's a whole generation who seem to think the world owes them something and I believe their parents could have contributed to this thinking. It might also have something to do with women (the previous generation) having returned to work and leaving their offspring to fend for themselves once they were in their teens.

It is disturbing to see this because it also means the following generation do not have a good example to follow and the problem tends to exacerbate. The problem multiplies and often we focus on the wrong things to fix the problem.

Young women of today need a guide and those of us who are older and who understand both the Proverbs 31 woman and the Titus 2 woman are well placed to help guide them. It is our duty to lead by example and to teach what is good.

So, what is good? We will look at this in future posts.

Sisters and Daughters

I recently attended the Every Woman Conference at Oxford Falls (Sydney), Australia. Their focus was very much on mothers, daughters and sisters, and how we minister to one another. The women they had teaching us and leading us in prayer, praise and worship were wonderful examples of how we can reach out to one another and share and encourage based on our own personal experiences.

Lisa Bevere was a wonderful encourager who truly does implant courage into others through her teaching, examples and stories. She speaks forcefully and gets her point across very clearly. The crowd loved her and I can see why she is so popular.

Lisa told us how 'mommas need to know the daughters' and that we need to train our daughters. She told us that daughters are born to ask questions (why?) and that grandmothers have learned the answers and can, therefore, give perspective. Women are created to nurture.

This is a wonderful explanation I feel of what a Titus 2 woman is and can be. I am a daughter and a mother. I'm yet to become a grandmother, but I do strongly feel that the lessons I've been learning over the past few years will equip me to give perspective as it's needed.