When Sarah entered university, she had a plan to find a mentor. That was the advice everyone seemed to give.
“Get a mentor.”
“Successful people have mentors.”
“You need someone to guide you.
So, she did what many young people do. She made a list of accomplished people she admired. Successful entrepreneurs, industry leaders, professionals doing amazing things. And then she waited…
She waited for someone to discover her, to take interest in her, to open doors for her, to change her life.
Months passed and nothing happened. Then years passed and still nothing happened. Eventually, Sarah became frustrated. She thought mentorship didn’t work.
But do you know what the truth was? She wasn’t struggling because mentorship was ineffective. She was struggling because she believed several lies about what mentorship actually is. And unfortunately, many young people are believing the same lies today.
Lie 1 : A mentor will come and find you.
It sounds nice but that is rarely how mentorship works.
Most mentors are busy people. They are building careers, businesses, teams, and families. They are not searching social media looking for people to mentor.
The responsibility often starts with you. You must be willing to learn. You must be willing to ask thoughtful questions. You must be willing to position yourself where learning can happen.
Mentorship is usually pursued, not discovered.
Lie 2 : A mentor will do the work for you.
This is perhaps the most dangerous misconception some people have.
Some people believe having a mentor automatically guarantees success. But it doesn’t.
A mentor can provide direction, share wisdom, or help you avoid mistakes. But they cannot study for you. They cannot build your career for you. They cannot develop your skills for you.
Mentorship is not a replacement for effort. It is a multiplier of effort. If you are unwilling to do the work, no mentor can save you.
Lie 3 : You need one mentor for everything.
Life is rarely that simple.
The person who can guide your career may not be the person who can guide your personal development.
The person who helps you build technical skills may not be the person who helps you become a better leader.
Many successful people learn from multiple mentors.
Some mentors teach through conversations, others teach through books, others teach through observation, while others teach through communities.
Mentorship is not always one person. Sometimes it is an ecosystem of learning.
Lie 4 : Mentorship is about access.
Many young people pursue mentors because they want opportunities, introductions, connections, or recommendations. And while those things can happen, they are not the primary purpose of mentorship.
The greatest gift a mentor gives is perspective. A mentor helps you see what you cannot see. They help you think differently, help you avoid costly mistakes, challenge your assumptions, and stretch your thinking.
Those lessons are often more valuable than a recommendation letter.
Lie 5 : If a mentor corrects you, they don’t believe in you.
Nobody enjoys correction but growth often requires it.
The best mentors are not cheerleaders. They are truth tellers. They will celebrate your progress but they will also point out your blind spots. They will challenge excuses, question your thinking, and sometimes, they will tell you things you don’t want to hear.
That is not rejection. It is investment. People rarely correct what they have completely given up on.
So, what really is mentorship?
Mentorship is not dependency. It is development.
It is learning from someone else’s experience so you don’t have to learn every lesson the hard way.
It is borrowing wisdom while building your own journey.
It is gaining perspective that helps you move forward with greater clarity.
And most importantly, mentorship is a relationship built on growth, not entitlement, convenience or shortcuts.
It is built on growth.
The irony is that many young people don’t actually need a celebrity mentor. They need access to people who are one step ahead. They need access to someone who has completed the internship they want, someone who has built the skill they are learning, someone who has navigated the challenge they are facing, someone who is willing to share what they have learned.
That is often where the most practical mentorship happens.
The right mentor may not solve all your problems, but they can save you years of confusion, and sometimes, one conversation can change the direction of your future.
So, stop waiting for mentorship to magically happen.
But rather, start learning, asking questions, building relationships, and start putting yourself in environments where growth is possible.
Mentorship is not about finding someone to carry you.
It is about finding people who can help you become stronger as you carry your own journey.
At The Hub, we believe mentorship should be accessible, practical, and growth-focused.
Join The Hub and connect with a community of learners, builders, professionals, and mentors committed to helping young people grow with clarity, confidence, and purpose.
Too many students and young professionals are trying to navigate important life decisions without guidance.
Do not be one of them. Your future deserves more than guesswork.
Join the train now! https://chat.whatsapp.com/Lyc9UMQW6MJBnOrBruPqTF