At its worst, failure can be devastating.  However, many would say true failure occurs not when success slips from our fingers, but when failure overwhelms us, preventing us from further experimentation.  Talk with your mentoring partner today about your most recent success or failure. How can you continue to move forward?

When in a mentoring relationship, either as a mentor or as a mentee, it can be easy to focus on personal benefits.  However, it has been noted that those who put others’ needs first tend to gain the most.  Today, take a moment to reflect on how you can assist those around you.  You may find you gain more in the end.   

Mentors and mentees don't always have similar viewpoints on the fundamental issues that can arise during mentoring.  A mentor's job isn't to clone his or her own ideas and implant them into the mentee's head.  Instead, it is to give the mentee space and encouragement to grow their own ideas while exploring new points of view.  Speak with your mentoring partner today about how you can open your mind to new ideas.

Communication can be difficult.  The next time you find yourself in a communication bind, remember that everyone views the world through different eyes.  What may be very clear to you could be out of focus for other individuals.

It takes strong mentors to create strong leaders, but how does one become a strong mentor?  Some say mentors are shaped through human interaction - who we talk to, who we spend time with, and who we look up to all play a roll in who we become.  Talk with your mentor today about how those around you affect your day to day life.

Growth can be a difficult, almost painful experience.  Consider a teething infant.  The feeling of a tooth making its way through the gums  is by no means a nice sensation, however the long term benefits far outweigh the temporary pain.  Talk with your mentor today about how you can endure your growing pains gracefully.

It is easy to see how mentoring can be beneficial at a new job or within a new position, but sometimes mentoring is overlooked in situations in which it's not so obviously helpful.  Consider the parts of your life that are very important to you, but could use a little direction.  Mentoring belongs there, too.

My mother always said "If you're going to do something, do it right the first time."  Mentoring can be very taxing, but it is worth the effort.  Talk with your mentor today about any areas in which you might be lacking - he or she might be able to see something you can't.

Due to the close nature of mentoring relationships, it's not uncommon for a mentee to ask a mentor for help with personal or emotional issues. As a mentor, listen carefully, and attempt to provide constructive and meaningful help. However, if the issue becomes too difficult to handle, don't be afraid to refer the mentee to professional help for further assistance.

In order to build a lasting and trusting mentoring relationship, it is essential for the mentor and mentee to maintain a degree of confidentiality. A close and relatively private atmosphere will encourage frank and honest discussion between the mentoring pair.