| Recently, I read a heartwarming novel entitled All the Lonely People by Mike Gayle.
And then, through a virtual book club, I had the privilege of listening to an interview with the author in which he shared his experience and perspectives on writing this book in 2019. Even before the pandemic caused a tsunami of isolation, Mike chose loneliness as the focus of his story. During the interview, he reflected on his cacophony of characters, noting how each addressed their loneliness by connecting with strangers and creating a community. As he concluded his comments, Mike left us with this gift: “We are the answer to each other’s problems.” And that is why I love mentoring – we are the answer to each other’s problems. From crisis to critical thinking, we are better grappling and tackling coupled than siloed. “No one needs new friends.” I have flippantly said this to mentoring program leaders during our strategy sessions, imploring them to devise a more compelling reason for people to enroll in mentoring. But I’m now eliminating that proclamation. Because we could all use new friends, champions, comrades, advocates, and allies at work and in life. In a new study, researchers discovered that feeling lonely is more damaging than smoking, adding almost two years to our biological age and increasing our risk of Alzheimer’s, diabetes, and heart disease. In 2017, the U.S. Surgeon General called loneliness a “growing health epidemic.” And in 2018, London appointed a Minister of Loneliness to combat its country’s loneliness problem. Fortunately, innovative anti-loneliness ideas have been popping up around the world: >> Shared Lives, a home-sharing initiative, matches lonely retirees with young people needing a place to live. >> Men’s Shed Movement connects retired/unemployed men through activities like woodworking and repairing electronics. >> HostNation pairs refugees with volunteers in their neighborhood. >> Intergenerational Care Homes combine childcare and eldercare by placing preschools inside retirement homes. And just like that, your organization’s mentoring program takes on a new purpose: combatting loneliness. We can enrich any mentoring experience by remembering that we are the answer to each other’s problems. © 2022. Ann Tardy and MentorLead. www.mentorlead.com. All Rights Reserved. |