Paul Ratsoy, Corey Porter, & Gary Bizzo…
Those names might not mean anything to you, however, to me, these three individuals have changed my life. Why…you ask? Because Paul, Corey, and Gary are my mentors. They have given me guidance in life, in marriage, in fatherhood, and in business.
We all NEED mentors to succeed.
Growing up, I didn’t have a healthy family foundation. My parents were always fighting, we never ate dinner around the dining table together as a family and we never went on camping or road trips. Eventually, my parents had a divorce. Not having a strong father figure, I would look up to Hockey Players as my mentors and role models. I would send them Hockey Cards in the mail asking for autographs, I would line-up for hours outside the Pacific Coliseum to meet my Canucks Mentors, and I would seek guidance from these sports heroes.
However, they weren’t really mentors…they were more like idols. What I needed was not someone distant to look up to but someone close who would look into me, guide and shape me, and help me form my core identity.
It was only in my early 20s that I got my first mentor: Paul Ratsoy. For the first time in my life, someone believe in me, someone invested time in me, someone loved and cared for me in a way that I never found with my parents, my dad, or my hockey heroes.
Week after week after week for several years, Paul Ratsoy invested quality time with me at Bread Garden at Park and Tilford Mall in North Vancouver to make me the man I am today. He listened as I shared my personal struggles regarding my faith, my family, my school, my career, and my life. He never judged, never questioned, never doubted…he just listened, just guided, just shared his insights, experiences, and inner wisdom.
After Paul, it was Corey Porter who spend lunch hour after lunch hour guiding me and forming me while I was an undergrad at UBC. Corey helped me form my spiritual identity and my passion for people. Corey sincerely loved and cared for people, and he imparted this love for people in me too. And now, it’s Gary Bizzo who invests one hour of his time each week on the phone giving me Business Mentorship through the Futurepreneur Program. After years of running multiple successful businesses, Gary is willing and able to invest the time needed to make my businesses a success.
I am eternally grateful for Paul, Corey, and Gary. Thank you.
I can’t really pay them back. However, I can pay it forward…by mentoring others. So, that’s what I have done. I have mentored a little brother Stuart through the Big Brothers Program. I have mentored new immigrants Phil and Ali through the Mosaic Immigrant Services. I have mentored disabled people through the Kudos Experience. And, most importantly, of all, I now am able to mentor my two young kids Rianne and Ryan by giving them a strong family foundation, by eating meals around the dining table, and by taking them on road trips and being the father I never had.
Mentorship is important for many reasons:
1) Guidance – having an experienced friend to learn from and to guide you
2) Accountability – being fully accountable to someone to reach your goals
3) Support – knowing that there is someone who deeply loves and cares for you
This Monday, April 13, 2015 join myself and other dads who will share the importance of having and being mentors and role models at ManTalks!
Ricky Shetty is the owner and operator of the family-friendly website DaddyBlogger.com which gives a father’s perspective into parenting! In addition, Ricky runs several events, workshops, and conferences in Vancouver. His next big conference is BlogMasteryConference.com
Ricky’s greatest passion is fatherhood and his two wonderful kids Rianne and Ryan.You can find out more about Ricky on his Daddy Blogger website: http://daddyblogger.com/
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