Mentors Will Change Your Life. Here's How. Who Is Your George? Ep. 20

[00:00:00] This is a story of mentors' encourage and what it means to be the recipient of someone who believed in you, sometime in your life when perhaps you didn't believe in yourself. Have you ever had one of these? Well I call them my George.

[00:00:21] If you've had a George, listen to this story and know exactly what I'm talking about. I was sitting at the precipice of fear at age 25 and I went into my boss's office to ask him for his advice,

[00:00:42] which was a scary thing to do when you talk about having courage. It's scary to go in your boss's office and tell him you might want to quit your job to start a new business. Many bosses would say well just get out of here then.

[00:00:57] But George didn't. George was my very loving and kind boss. And I asked him if he would be willing to take a look at a business plan, if I would put one together and learn everything I needed to learn to start a business.

[00:01:13] But more than that, I wanted his opinion because I valued him as such a high quality human being. So I asked him, George, what do you think? I mean, do you think I've got what it takes to start a computer training business on a shoestring?

[00:01:35] Here's my idea. This is 1986 and since 1983 I had already been involved in the roll out of personal computers, Macintoshes and PCs in the corporate world watching what was happening and that people didn't know how to use these new things that were put on their desks.

[00:01:58] If you can believe that now, it was that with the 1984 announcement of the Macintosh and 1983, the Lisa. Anyway, if you were there, you know what I'm talking about. But I saw the need in the marketplace and I thought I could fill it, but I didn't have confidence.

[00:02:16] So George was really a mentor to me. You know, he was somebody that when I asked his opinion on this and I told him what I wanted to do immediately and quickly without hesitation, he said, do it. You'd be great. Like really? Oh my gosh, you think so?

[00:02:37] You see, at that time I really didn't have anybody else to talk to about this or to ask. So I valued his opinion so much. So he encouraged me and that's all I needed to go get started. And I went and learned everything I needed to.

[00:02:55] I had to learn public speaking skills through Toastmasters. I had to learn how to run a business. I took classes at the Small Business Administration.

[00:03:05] They had courses at Wayne State University in Detroit and did what I needed to do to learn about taxes and business and marketing, all those sort of things. And eventually I wrote my business plan.

[00:03:18] I did everything I knew how to do up to that point and went back into George and said, okay, I'm ready for you to look at this. Would you still be willing to look? Of course I would. Sure.

[00:03:32] So he took it home with him and I waited to hear. And when he came back, he said, this is good. Go for it. You need to do this. And so I gave him my two week notice right then in there.

[00:03:50] My paycheck was cut off two weeks later and I had very, very tiny little bit of money in the bank. Enough for maybe 30 days to get this going. With no curriculum developed, nothing. No knowledge, no clients.

[00:04:09] Nothing except a rented little cubicle inside of the Small Business Administration cubicle. They called it an incubator program for people like me that needed a telephone service and an address to be a legitimate business. So that's where I started.

[00:04:30] And early on George actually hired me back as a contractor to do sales training for the guys, believe it or not. It's kind of embarrassing because they were so good.

[00:04:42] And I think he just did it as a gesture for a few weeks to get me over this hump and get me used to things. And so, I mean, I have no idea. Those guys were so good they could run circles around me. They, I'm embarrassed now.

[00:04:57] It was probably a terribly embarrassing situation. But George, no, George had that twinkle in his eye and he knew something within me that I didn't think I had. I didn't know if I had the fortitude and the strength.

[00:05:17] I suspected I did, but I had to go prove it to myself. But George and I remained very good friends. He had a couple of, well, one son that worked with us where I worked, great guy. And this beautiful family, another son.

[00:05:35] I mean, he just was such a family man. His time went on and before I started this business, the small business administration had such grim statistics. You really did have to have a lot of courage back then with we don't have the tech, we didn't have the technology

[00:05:53] and the resources we do today. And they said that of the hundred people that were in this workshop, half of them at the end of the workshop would decide not to start a business. What they did was scare the heck out of you.

[00:06:10] And then of the other half that were left in two years, only 20% of the people would be left. And in three years, only 30% of that, or I'm sorry, only 10% of the original people would be left.

[00:06:30] And then at the end of five years, only one person would be left standing still in business. So it was pretty grim and pretty scary without resources and all, but I forged ahead.

[00:06:46] And when I was able to get in the door of General Motors and get my first client at UAWG, a soft spot in my heart, very longstanding client, that opened some other doors within General Motors, Chrysler Ford, ad agencies, hospitals,

[00:07:04] Hallmark cards, Blue Cross Blue Shield, insurance companies, all kinds of large corporations in Detroit as I steadily grew one step at a time. And I recall those days taking on my first lease of office space,

[00:07:25] trying to get funding for computers to set up my very first classroom and sharing with another company in order to get that done originally and partnering. And it was a lot, but in the background, George was sort of always there.

[00:07:42] You know, I didn't talk to him every day after that, but we kept in touch. And I don't know if you know how powerful it is to have a mentor, that when you just need a little boost, it's someone who's a friend

[00:07:59] who just reminds you of your skills and your value and your worth. And it's sometimes that's just enough. It's all you need to keep going. And George was that for me throughout all of those years. And he didn't have to do that.

[00:08:19] He treated me as though I was the most special thing on the planet and that the thing is, you know how some people will say to you, oh, you can do it. Yeah, just just go for it. You can do it.

[00:08:34] Like they might be too afraid to do it themselves, but they like to watch you do it. See if you fall flat on your face kind of thing like even now with what I'm doing. But he wasn't like that. He genuinely cared.

[00:08:49] He had a I would call it an angelic sense about him that you just trusted what he said to be the truth. And honestly, I don't know if you've ever met anybody like this before, but I've never met anybody like quite like him since with this.

[00:09:12] And I do mean a real twinkle in his eye. It was almost like he was a real angel put down here to just be good in this world of, you know, not so good sometimes.

[00:09:29] So I have always been grateful to his advice, his tenderness, his concern, his help and just his kind words and facial expressions. I see him still. I never will forget him.

[00:09:50] And the reason I wanted to talk about mentors today is because of people like George in this world. Well, George has passed on. He did pass away back in those years very sadly to my sadness, his family sadness, his wife, all the beautiful souls that he touched.

[00:10:13] It was a tremendous loss and I was only 25 then and now in my age of going on 63 years old, I have never forgotten George and he pops in my head a lot through these years, these many years over 30 years.

[00:10:36] And so I just wanted to reach out and say thank you to people like George. If you have a George or have had one in your life, whether it was a childhood teacher or a friend or a family member

[00:10:54] or whomever that touched your life in such a way that one word of encouragement possibly was enough to get you to believe in your dream and to take action on it or do something in your life that you were afraid to do.

[00:11:15] And you just needed that push from somebody that you really knew meant it. That's the difference in being a mentor. George was a mentor to me. I've actually had three in my lifetime.

[00:11:33] George was my most profound I would say, but I have had three and that's a fortunate thing to have in my career world. I mean people who believe in you enough to either hire you to do work for them in your business

[00:11:57] or encourage you to step out on a leap of faith when you really need it. From someone who really truly honestly believes it and isn't what's the word patseeing you because a lot of people will do that, won't they?

[00:12:17] I mean we probably all have people in our lives who are like oh yeah do it but maybe secretly they hope you fail. I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about true honest to goodness belief from someone else who can see something inside of you that is there

[00:12:37] and you might be having a little hard time seeing it right now or at that time. So if you've had a George, raise your hand and comment yes. Say their name if you want in the comments. Tell your story in the comments if you'd like.

[00:12:56] This would be so great for other people to see who's your George and if you don't have a George and you want one, maybe there are people here who would like to be mentors and spread words of encouragement

[00:13:12] which is what I'm trying to do on my channel a little bit here but in this video it's more about gratitude for the Georges out there in the world.

[00:13:24] For all of you who encourage other people to go for what means a lot to them even if you don't know what they're about to do,

[00:13:36] you don't have to. People who believe in a dream it's put there from somewhere. I firmly believe that and I said and I think it was my episode too about when a dream won't go away or thought or an idea just stays with you.

[00:13:59] You have to honor it because if you don't guess what somebody else will get that idea and we'll go for it.

[00:14:07] You see it all the time in life, don't you? Have you ever seen like an infomercial or something where you go oh my god I had that idea?

[00:14:17] Oh why didn't I do that? Did you know my dad had that happen to him? I don't know how many times he had like this little inventor brain

[00:14:27] but he couldn't or didn't really act on things and then we'd see it on TV or in the store or something and he'd be like you kids I thought of that first. Well the problem is whoever thinks of it first and takes action on it is the winner.

[00:14:45] That's not necessarily what all I'm talking about today but there is a lot of truth to that. I just think that sometimes we don't go for some crazy idea that comes in our head because we think people are going to think we're crazy

[00:15:02] and we honestly don't really know if it's a good idea until you see it out there in the marketplace right? My dreams were never product oriented creation of their service businesses that have always been my dreams in my lifetime

[00:15:20] where I'm put on this planet to communicate, to encourage, to teach, to be a better human I think but mentors are very special people and so a little rambling today I just wanted to say to George

[00:15:45] Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart. I know you're not here anymore. Well who knows maybe you are. You've been on my mind a lot lately. I don't know about such things sometimes but maybe.

[00:16:00] You sure were an angel when you were living and I do want to say that in regards to this which is very personal

[00:16:12] I did reach out on Facebook to locate any of his family members a month or two ago and just got word back from one of the sons that I had the right person you know how 30 years go by and you're not really sure

[00:16:28] and so if George's kids end up seeing this video I do want to say to you that your dad was a great man not that I'm telling you anything you don't know but he treated me like a friend and he respected me

[00:16:50] and I sure hope I let him know that you know I was young and busy and working long hours and a bit cocky and just running fast and furious

[00:17:05] and I don't know if I ever took time to tell him how much I cared about him and that's something I think I don't know maybe I'm getting old but I feel bad about that I feel like I should have been a better person back then

[00:17:25] and made sure that the people who cared about me knew that I cared about them back so if you have a George or have had a George look him up especially if they're still living

[00:17:41] especially if there's a way to reach out and find them and it will make you feel so good many of us have a teacher that maybe they're long gone but maybe they're not

[00:17:56] you know sometimes a mentor is just somebody who says one thing to you like in second grade or third grade and you never forgot it it was the encouragement you needed to go for your dream later in life even

[00:18:15] good teachers tend to do that for children don't they so whatever whoever was your George I want to just say to all of them out there thank you so much for making people better for believing in people when they didn't or couldn't believe in themselves

[00:18:45] so I just want to sign off by saying to my George George P. Carr senior thank you from the bottom of my heart for changing my life at age 25 and giving me the courage to start my computer training company

[00:19:06] at the age of 26 years old you were awesome and I'm forever grateful that's all for now folks leave a comment let's talk about your mentor let's thank them whether they're here or they're not

[00:19:25] just think someone in the comment first name fake name doesn't matter let's appreciate anybody and everybody who helped us along our journeys to become better in this life I am Kate Wilder and I hope you enjoyed this podcast you