So many lessons from that book. Another one is about mentorship: A mentor appears to a young shepherd boy in the form of an elderly man. At first, the boy is annoyed by the old man, who keeps asking for a sip of wine. The boy doesn’t want to talk to him and considers rudely walking away.

Then the boy realizes the old man can help him:

“The boy waited, and then interrupted the old man just as he himself had been interrupted. ‘Why are you telling me all this?’

“‘Because you are trying to realize your Personal Legend. And you are at the point where you’re about to give it all up.’

“‘And that’s when you always appear on the scene?’

“‘Not always in this way, but I always appear in the form of a solution, or a good idea. At other times, at a crucial moment, I make it easier for things to happen. There are other things I do, too, but most of the time people don’t realize I’ve done them.’”

But after hearing from the old man, the boy was only more confused, tense, and irritated. “Curse the moment I met that old man, he thought.”

We learn from being challenged, from failure, and from allowing space and time for reflection. Mentors can’t tell us exactly how to navigate our journey, but they can give us guidance along the path. Mentors help us get started, but it often isn’t until much later that we come to understand and truly value their advice.