Ottawa Citizen: Men need life mentors too
You may think men are obsessed with Star Wars because of the epic battle scenes. But in truth, we guys still dream of meeting a little green Yoda who can bring out our full potential, like making spaceships move with our minds.
Joking aside, January is national mentorship month. Much of the media focus is understandably on helping at-risk youth make better life decisions, along with an important conversation on empowering women to climb the career ladder. But we wonder, what about life mentors for men?
There are very few university courses that focus on how to be a good husband or father, how to balance work and family life, or how to approach mid-life crises without quitting our jobs to travel the world. And few of us have the benefit of being in a book club where more than literary wisdom is exchanged.
“Every single man deals with self-doubt at some point in his life,” says Dale Thomas Vaughn, president of the Global Center for Healthy Masculinities in California. In a recent conversation he told us, “this fear keeps us stagnant and isolated” unless we find someone who believes in us and motivates us to move forward.
“Even the toughest guys I know are relieved to have someone safe to go to for advice and a pep talk,” adds Vaughn.
