At our local greenhouse, there is a woman named Judy, who is about 80 plus years old. Her hands look as though they have had dozens of years of hard labor, and her white hair and curved spine add a few more years to her probable age.
Every time I have an issue with a plant, tree, or shrub, I go to Judy and listen. I absorb her wisdom with every word and come home feeling more capable.
Last year, my entire yard was seized by spider mites, so I took multiple ziplock baggies of dying foliage to her. She gave me garden-saving insight, but then she placed her lovely, wrinkled hand on mine and said, “You are doing just fine.” I teared up. Her wisdom knew what to teach me, but she also knew I was a young want-to-be horticulturist who was feeling as though I miserably failed, and she chose to add value to my life.
She didn’t arrive at her current greenhouse advisor status because she was retired and needed a new job. She came to it through years and years of experience; learning constantly, probably failing frequently, but never giving up on what she loved. This made her a woman with invaluable experience and a mentor for all who walked in that door.
John Maxwell said, “Success is when I add value to myself. Significance is when I add value to others.”
Judy had more than success at her job; she had significance.
Most of us are busy with… well, you name it! And, the idea of mentoring others seems overwhelming, or something to do later in life when you feel more prepared. But, everything you are experiencing, learning, and failing at now will be what allows you to add value to others so they too might feel more capable.
That can start right now.
If you are debating the significance in your own life, you are debating the wrong question. You need to be asking, “Who can I mentor or encourage?” Who needs to hear your story now to grow? Every part of life has a season. Don’t miss out on this season of life where you can add value to your current peers or the next generation.
No matter where you are in life, you have significance. You have needed value to add to another.
As much as I need Judy to help with my plants, I also need mentors to teach me about Jesus, parenting, and marriage. Their words of advice and truth are invaluable.
Maybe, the things that happen in your life have little to do with you, but someone later who needs to learn from it and is allowed to do so because you are willing to share. You are willing to take the time to add value to another.
Let’s not be people who only chase success. Let’s be people who strive for significance.
