The upcoming week is gonna be one that is filled with a lot of action and beyond the glitz and the glamour, I want to take the time to thank the people who have been there for me one way or another. For some, I have known them for years (almost my whole life), others, I have known for as short as 1 year. Whoever you are, you have changed my life one way or another.
On to my first group (No order of merit)...
So yesterday was the Founders' Award Presentation Ceremony and it gave me the opportunity to reflect all that has been done with this batch of Boys and it made me look back on the things that have happened. It then brought me back to Friday's Bible Study Discussion where we talked about regrets and whether we should or should not have done certain things and it made me question, Could I have done more with this batch of Boys? Could I have change more lives if I had put in more effort? Unfortunately, the answer would always be a resounding "YES".
When it comes down to mentorship, we will ALWAYS have regret and we will always look back and say that things could have been better. But, I believe that that is what makes mentoring all the more fulfilling. Mentoring isn't so much about doing the best action or being the perfect mentor. Mentoring is about giving and taking. We give to the people we mentor, through our everyday behaviours, actions, attitudes and words. We take back the lessons we learn from each and every experience we have with those we mentor. Trying to achieve a perfect mentorship is delusional. Instead, we should aim to be good mentors. And this batch taught me this.
In 2013, when I completed my role as a COS, I thought that I was done. I was ready to hang up my Uniform (the dark blue one) and move on. Something compelled me to return, something in me made me come back. It was the Presidents' Award. It wasn't the people I had been with for 2 years who made me want to come back to serve. It was the award (as mentioned in my previous post "Thinking back about the Old BB Days". But as I walked a different journey in the last 2 years, this group of Boys showed me many things and taught me much about myself. Whenever I was too focused on the award, they brought me back down to Earth. They showed me that I, just like them, had much to learn. They shared with me their individual troubles (sometimes this required a bit of probing) and I did too, with them. They showed me that I could not be a leader who would just simply talk and not do (as I often did in the past and may still do so today). They showed me their passion and I'm glad they did.
There came a point in time in the journey when I realised that not everything I said, would result in them following it or simply taking my word for it. This showed me that I needed more than just words. I needed wise words that could be followed. Through this, they trained me to be more observant, a greater critical thinker and more empathetic towards those around me.
All the small and brief interactions with each one of them (some, more than others) showed me that each and everyone of them was unique in their own ways. Even when I fell short of their expectations, they carried on and walked with me. I am truly proud to say, that they have made a deep impact in my life.
At the end, I will say that my journey in the last 2 years was not once, smooth-sailing. There were ups and downs the whole way but yet, I wouldn't have had it any other way (as cliché as it sounds) I believe I learnt more from them (about myself) than they did from me and I pray that even as they soon enter a new stage in their lives, they will not only focus on being great mentors but also to be even better learners. Thank You for teaching me so much.
When it comes down to mentorship, we will ALWAYS have regret and we will always look back and say that things could have been better. But, I believe that that is what makes mentoring all the more fulfilling. Mentoring isn't so much about doing the best action or being the perfect mentor. Mentoring is about giving and taking. We give to the people we mentor, through our everyday behaviours, actions, attitudes and words. We take back the lessons we learn from each and every experience we have with those we mentor. Trying to achieve a perfect mentorship is delusional. Instead, we should aim to be good mentors. And this batch taught me this.
In 2013, when I completed my role as a COS, I thought that I was done. I was ready to hang up my Uniform (the dark blue one) and move on. Something compelled me to return, something in me made me come back. It was the Presidents' Award. It wasn't the people I had been with for 2 years who made me want to come back to serve. It was the award (as mentioned in my previous post "Thinking back about the Old BB Days". But as I walked a different journey in the last 2 years, this group of Boys showed me many things and taught me much about myself. Whenever I was too focused on the award, they brought me back down to Earth. They showed me that I, just like them, had much to learn. They shared with me their individual troubles (sometimes this required a bit of probing) and I did too, with them. They showed me that I could not be a leader who would just simply talk and not do (as I often did in the past and may still do so today). They showed me their passion and I'm glad they did.
There came a point in time in the journey when I realised that not everything I said, would result in them following it or simply taking my word for it. This showed me that I needed more than just words. I needed wise words that could be followed. Through this, they trained me to be more observant, a greater critical thinker and more empathetic towards those around me.
All the small and brief interactions with each one of them (some, more than others) showed me that each and everyone of them was unique in their own ways. Even when I fell short of their expectations, they carried on and walked with me. I am truly proud to say, that they have made a deep impact in my life.
At the end, I will say that my journey in the last 2 years was not once, smooth-sailing. There were ups and downs the whole way but yet, I wouldn't have had it any other way (as cliché as it sounds) I believe I learnt more from them (about myself) than they did from me and I pray that even as they soon enter a new stage in their lives, they will not only focus on being great mentors but also to be even better learners. Thank You for teaching me so much.
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