Mentor-student relationship

I was thinking to myself about my motivation to share with people about my little knowledge in the stock market. It takes time, energy and effort to go back and fro in the cbox after working for a good part of the day. The time spent could be used to do the things that I like - reading, watching drama series, playing games and to basically relax, so the opportunity cost is actually quite substantial considering that after the whole exercise, I ended up not indulging in my own relaxation time and actually feeling more tired and drained. But don't get me wrong, it's utterly satisfying to do so, which is why it puzzles me. I'm left wondering what motivates me to spend time, energy and effort to share with others.



I think that the reward of teaching people comes not from the money, or from the lunch treats but for the satisfaction of enriching an eager, humble and open mind. I can't say the same for others, but that is what I know of myself. I don't think it's altruistic in nature - I'm not lawfully good in alignment (I'm lawfully neutral). Perhaps when the satisfaction that I desire is not 'repaid', then the satisfaction of getting paid for my time, energy and effort will be somewhat used as a replacement reward. Why is sharing such knowledge satisfying? I think I've this phenomenon I call "teacher's complex" that gives me the kick when sharing about things that I am passionately involved. Perhaps in the beginning it's like a mentor-student relationship, but when the student gets equal or better than the mentor, it'll become more of a two like-minded people who share the similar view of the world. I find that idea immensely satisfying, and I would conclude that this is ultimately the reason why I would forsake immediate gratification of spending my own time to hopefully spread what I know to people who do not.



But do notice that my criteria of teaching is towards someone with an eager, humble and open mind. What is meant by an eager mind? It is the willingness to learn and this can be exhibited by how much effort the student puts in with reference to how much effort the mentor puts in. I think an eager student would put in much more effort than the mentor. I suppose a mentor wants their student to at least show a certain standard of effort before he would willingly spend more time on his part. It's really a relationship marked by reciprocity. Nobody is willing to give and give and don't take. Such relationship would never be sustainable. What about humble and open minded? I think if a student's mind is fixated on an idea and he is very sure that he is right about that particular idea, it's not too incredible to deduce that the person do not have an open mind (at least with regards to this aspect of thought...I do realise that people can be open in one aspect but closed in others).  I think showing a mentor that you have a open mind and is willing to try out new ideas is one of the main reason why the mentor would even want to share with you in the first place. If you insist that you're right about certain things, I don't think anybody would approach you to share with you what they knew.



Thus in discovering my reasons for sharing with people my knowledge in the stock market, I've also uncovered how to find a mentor in different aspects of life. I've a few mentors whom I model after. They might not even know I'm their student, but I am indeed modelling after their thought process and how they behave in different circumstances. But that is being a silent student, quietly observing his mentor at work. If you want to find a mentor in life, or want mentors to approach you to share what they know, remember the three criteria as a student - eager, humble and an open-mind. Only then - and here I would like to paraphrase bro8888's words - would a master come down from the mountain to impart his skills to you.