“Mentorship is not meant to make you comfortable, it’s meant to make you capable.” - Joe Komolafe
At the heart of true mentorship is tension, the kind that stretches, not breaks. Mentors don’t always look like what we expect. They are not sponsors who open doors for convenience but slings that pull you back just enough to propel you forward. They won’t always affirm you, but they will refine you. This is not about hand-holding, it’s about head-shaping. Real mentorship doesn’t flatter, it forms. And if you’re in it for applause, you’ll miss the assignment.
Mentors are not perfect, actually most are deeply imperfect. But their imperfection is part of their power. They’ve made mistakes you haven’t seen yet, and they carry maps written in experience, not just theory. You chase your mentor, they don’t chase you. You learn, you listen, you stay. Stop hopping from one mentor to another because it got hard or didn’t look shiny. The real work of growth is uncomfortable. But in that space, if you stay long enough, you begin to rise.
A mentor is not your buddy, they are your builder. They won’t always say yes, but they’ll say what’s necessary. They pull and push. They correct and cover. And even when they don’t say it out loud, they know the ones who are serious. Mentorship isn’t about convenience, it’s about commitment. So if you’ve found someone ahead of you who sharpens you, hold that ground. Water it. Sacrifice for it. Because in the end, the lessons you respect will become the launchpad for the legacy you leave.
Kunle Joe Komolafe
“Mentorship is not meant to make you comfortable, it’s meant to make you capable.” - Joe Komolafe
At the heart of true mentorship is tension, the kind that stretches, not breaks. Mentors don’t always look like what we expect. They are not sponsors who open doors for convenience but slings that pull you back just enough to propel you forward. They won’t always affirm you, but they will refine you. This is not about hand-holding, it’s about head-shaping. Real mentorship doesn’t flatter, it forms. And if you’re in it for applause, you’ll miss the assignment.
Mentors are not perfect, actually most are deeply imperfect. But their imperfection is part of their power. They’ve made mistakes you haven’t seen yet, and they carry maps written in experience, not just theory. You chase your mentor, they don’t chase you. You learn, you listen, you stay. Stop hopping from one mentor to another because it got hard or didn’t look shiny. The real work of growth is uncomfortable. But in that space, if you stay long enough, you begin to rise.
A mentor is not your buddy, they are your builder. They won’t always say yes, but they’ll say what’s necessary. They pull and push. They correct and cover. And even when they don’t say it out loud, they know the ones who are serious. Mentorship isn’t about convenience, it’s about commitment. So if you’ve found someone ahead of you who sharpens you, hold that ground. Water it. Sacrifice for it. Because in the end, the lessons you respect will become the launchpad for the legacy you leave.
Kunle Joe Komolafe
@kjkspeaks
3 months ago | [YT] | 2