If you are seeking for mentors, it can be assumed that you may be pondering about difficult questions that do not have a clear answer yet. Your needs and a mentor's expectations might not match, maybe they don’t have the time at all, or they could be a super star in their field but will not be able to mentor as you imagined they would.
This is an obvious scenario for people, especially students, who are trying to find mentors from alumni groups, senior officials, teachers/faculty and others. We explored the world of cinema and picked out five mentors who proved to be exceptional in the cinematic world. They were few of the best mentors that an apprentice could have. Read ahead to find out what their single strong qualities were.
A mentor not only knows your weaknesses, but knows where you should apply your strengths
- Image source: Internet
In the movie ‘The Blind Side’ Michael, or Mike, the adopted kid, shows exceptional athletic ability but is significantly poor in academics. Anne, his foster mom, discovers while most of his test scores were in the lowest percentiles, in protective instincts he scores on the 98th percentile. Anne combines this with his football skills and demands his coach to play him in tackle position where the player protects the quarterback from being tackled by the opponents. Voila, accolades, sports scholarships, big league contracts and what not.
A mentor drives you to plunge into an opportunity and take risks while he or she stands as an example
- Image source: Internet
Unconventional? Out of the normal? Revolutionary? We don’t know. Just one word - crazy. In the movie ‘Dead Poets Society’, the class is stupefied when the English teacher, John Keating, asks the students to rip off the pages from their text books. He walks them to the corridor and tells them to seize the day, before they die and rot - not something any other teacher would do. “Carpe Diem”, he said. Seize the day. And he stood by it; literally.
A mentor shows you your worst fears and teaches you to attack them
- Image source: Internet
During a time when death eaters were prowling the wizarding world, Harry and his friends meet this weird teacher who is all set to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts - Professor Remus Lupin. He is not only a great teacher who believes in experimenting with magic but has a secret identity. He is a werewolf as well. When the class was fighting against a boggart that takes shape into what you fear the most, Harry sees a dementor. Lupin teaches Harry to use the patronus against dementors.
A mentor points out the ground reality about you and speaks the truth
- Image source: Internet
In the movie, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, Luke Skywalker lands in Dagobah seeking guidance and finds the great master Yoda. Luke is hasty, reckless, angry and impatient. The grand master Yoda tells him he is not ready to learn the ways of the force. Yoda trains him nevertheless and laments to Obi-Wan that the boy is not ready. He imparts great wisdom saying, “Do or do not, there is no try”
A mentor makes sure you know your basics
- Image source: Internet
In the recent Karate Kid movie, we see Dre Parker eager to learn Kung Fu. The very first day when he arrives at Mr Han’s place, he wants to learn to fight. Mr Han, though, makes him pick up his jacket - not once, but days in a row. Finally, the kid learns that the movement of picking up the jacket from the floor becomes a defensive move itself. He realizes practice makes perfect.
Such are some qualities to look for in mentors when you are in search of one. We hope you find your best mentor and do share your stories with us. Don’t hesitate to comment below if you find other interesting examples!
