Dennis Dowdell On Mentoring (Section 3)

What do you talk about with the young men you mentor?

What I tend to talk about with Darren, my mentee, are things like 'how much are you studying today?' We talk about the five the five levels of success that were drilled into me: Work hard, you've got to work hard. Every day Learn something new. Open a dictionary, learn a new word. Just keep your mind active. Love, not physical love but a sense of self, think positive about your self. Laugh, have a sense of humor, you know? You hate to be around sour people who bring you down with them, it just doesn't work. And last, the last 'L' that I was taught and I've told Darren is to Leave. You've got to know when to leave the party. Successful people tend to have a from-to attitude, they don't necessarily stay in the same place for all times. It doesn't mean you have to change, but it does mean you have to grow. Now this isn't curing societal ills, but it is beginning to prepare a male to be a man. And to perhaps give a little more discipline in his life that otherwise might be there.

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