“Mentors have the power to ignite a spark in you that can light up the rest of your life.” – Steven Spielberg

Towards the end of 2015, if I remember correctly, I woke up with a word accompanied by a dream in which I received a specific instruction. I heard a voice saying: “Multiply yourself.” That was the first day. On the second day, around 5:30 a.m., I heard the same words in my mind: “Multiply yourself!”

On the third day, the same thing happened, accompanied by a dream in which I saw a man walking with three people who were smaller in stature than him. These individuals had the same face as the man, like a father and his children. I felt deeply that this vision was speaking about me and the new season I was entering.

Indeed, I was that man walking, and the three look-alike individuals were like my children—my mentees. During these three days when I kept hearing the instruction “Multiply yourself,” I understood the urgency of passing on to others the lessons I had learned on my journey to fulfilling my destiny.

I had reached a season in life where I had to respond to the divine mandate. According to several experts like John Maxwell and Myles Munroe, the highest level of leadership is when a man or woman begins to impart to others what they have become. There’s a passage in the Epistles that beautifully illustrates this truth.

In 2 Timothy 2:2, it says: “And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others.“

This passage describes a chain: a person teaches another who, in turn, teaches others, and so on. This is how nations are built and how a people become powerful. This is what is called “mentoring.” But before delving deeper, the terms “mentor-mentee” might intrigue you enough to wonder what they mean.

A mentor is simply someone who is supposed to show you the way: they hold your hand and guide you to a specific destination over a certain period. They are already where you want to go and are living the dream you aspire to achieve. A mentor is someone sitting on the throne of the royalty you aspire to and who manifests what is still in an embryonic state within you. They are already a leader where you want to become one.

In essence, a mentor is someone well-positioned to guide you toward your project, dream, promised land, or throne.

It’s often said that a mentor is someone who shortens the years for you, helping you avoid life’s pitfalls. I think of the story of an American soldier that greatly impacted me online—the founder of the “Strength School,” an academy centered on physical strength, including disciplines like weightlifting and CrossFit.

This academy founder trained many athletes in the United States and became a multimillionaire. However, he struggled for about twenty years, going through hardship with a wife and two children. They lived in his in-laws’ basement under deplorable conditions.

On rainy days, their basement would flood. He endured many years of hardship, mainly because he didn’t take time early on to listen to mentors. This delayed his success and made his journey much harder. Eventually, he learned along the way and became what he is today.

From his experience, I realized that one can save a lot of time and achieve success faster rather than spending two decades chasing it. Meeting a mentor is like finding a bridge to your success. In Proverbs 11:14, it is written:
“For lack of guidance a nation falls, but victory is won through many advisers.“

To succeed in life, we need advice and people who can hold our hand and guide us to where we dream of going. Maximizing a mentor’s influence simply means leveraging the knowledge of someone who is where you want to be, helping you avoid mistakes you might otherwise make. This approach allows you to gain skills without going through all the complexities of learning.

The mentee is simply the student of the mentor. In Anglo-Saxon cultures, they are often called protégés—young individuals who sit at the feet of a master to learn.

In various civilizations, there have always been masters who trained students to become masters themselves. Refusing to follow a mentor is like refusing to succeed.

To illustrate, let me share the story of my younger brother Tony, a professional in screen printing and corporate communication in Cameroon. He specializes in printing, flocking, engraving, embroidery, and graphic imagery for communication and advertising. A few years ago, his story was very different.

In 2018, I decided to guide him through a personal development process to help him succeed in life, as he struggled with academics. I had understood that formal studies were not his forte. He was passionate about advertising, though I didn’t know that at the time—I discovered it later through certain circumstances.

One night, I had a dream where I saw him creating advertising banners for corporate communication. I saw his posters everywhere in downtown Yaoundé, Cameroon, and saw him making a lot of money from this work. I quickly called to share this dream, which I believed offered him hope.

As a mentor, I knew the dream alone wasn’t enough, no matter how beautiful it was. A dream represents God’s perfect will for us, but to manifest it on earth, it requires hard work, perseverance, patience, and especially maximizing one’s talent.

I sent him an audio program—now part of my elite training on discovering talents. “You need to listen to this; it will help you become better in your field,” I told him. Initially, he didn’t take my words seriously and was hesitant. But I wasn’t discouraged.

Eventually, he went to a cybercafé, downloaded, and listened to the entire program. Two weeks later, he was a different man. He called to share the good news: he had identified his talent and was unlocking his treasure chest.

The talents he discovered aligned with what I had seen in the dream: screen printing, graphic design, and visual communication. To support him, I gave him an Apple computer and software to develop his skills. That was the beginning of a grand adventure toward his destiny…

This text is an excerpt from the book “THE POWER OF A MENTOR“ written by WILLIAM DJAMEN.

We invite you to read the next article, “THE SECRET IS IN THE DETAILS.”