Someone asked me last week: "What did you learn or unlearn from a mentor, or from someone you feel really taught you something?"

And every single time this question comes up, I have my answer ready fast. Too fast, honestly. I say: "I learned what NOT to do in life, so I could focus on the right thing." It's true. It's also the easy answer. The safe one.

But if I'm being honest with myself  truly vulnerable and truthful that's not where my biggest lesson came from.

It came from my little girl.

The Best Teacher I Never Expected

She didn't sit me down and give me advice. She didn't have a framework or a five-step plan. She just... lived. And in watching her live, I learned more than any mentor ever taught me:

• Be yourself. Not a version of yourself. Not the edited, polished, acceptable version. Just you.
• Be confident. Not because you've earned it or proven it, but because it's simply who you are.
• Play like a kid. Have fun in what you do, without needing a reason to justify the joy.
• Say no when it doesn't feel right. No over-explaining. No guilt. Just a clear, honest no.

We spend so much energy trying to unlearn things from grown-ups, when really, we need to learn or relearn  from our children. We need to be more like our kids.

Wanting to Enjoy My Life, Not Just Get Through It

Here's what I'm sitting with lately: I want to enjoy my life. Really enjoy it. With my family, present and unhurried. And I want to do what I'm genuinely meant to do on this Earth.

For a long time, I think I believed those two things had to compete  that time with the people I love and doing meaningful work were somehow in tension. That choosing myself, my calling, my purpose, meant I was taking something away from my family.

I don't believe that anymore.

I want to work hard  for me, for my family, and for my community. Not because I have something to prove, but because it lights me up, and because I believe it's part of why I'm here. And I don't think that's selfish. I think it's honest.

The Question I'll Leave You With

So here's what I'm asking, the same question that was asked of me:

What's something you learned from someone who really stuck with you  someone you actually try to apply in your life, even now?

Maybe it wasn't a mentor in the traditional sense. Maybe, like me, it was someone smaller than you, someone who taught you without even trying.

I'd love to hear yours.  

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