I love mentoring—not for any personal benefit, but for the simple cause of helping others succeed.

Why mentor? Lives start and end, but ideas outlive people. Books prove this principle. It’s the influential authors that take ideas beyond the pages. They teach; they lead; they impact in person. These people see their followers, while many authors’ readers become apparent days, years, or generations later.

Now obviously, it matters what the influencing idea is in the lights of morality, patriotism, or ethics. Regardless, mentors have a lasting effect on those they disciple. The success of mentoring and teaching is measured by the lives that carry on with what they were taught.

The beauty of mentoring is that you learn most by teaching. It’s not just the student who learns. Students ask questions that drive the teacher to research and answer those questions. It’s the light bulb moments that are most rewarding. Curiosity meets discovery. These moments are the fuel that keeps the mentor going.