I want you to think of your favorite book or movie.

Specifically, think about the hero or the protagonist, the one who saves the world and bestows a ‘happy ever after’ on others in the story.

That’s Harry Potter in the Harry Potter series. James Bond in, well, James Bond movies. Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean and thousands of others.

We all believe that these are the people who make the story turn, overcome the toughest challenges, and shine with honor.

But now, imagine this.

Who would Harry Potter be without Dumbledore as the guide? How would Jack Sparrow deal with challenges without his father, Captain Teague’s, guidance? And would James Bond be able to become such a great agent without Kincade as a guide and mentor in his early years?

Without these people, the characters we call the ‘heroes’ would actually be ‘zeroes.’ They wouldn’t succeed. They wouldn’t know what to do. And they would never have the courage to deal with the challenges they face.

In moments of doubt, the hero never rises strong on his own. It’s only through the elevated perspective of a mentor that the hero sees beyond his current failure and taps into his strength again.

This doesn’t just apply to intriguing stories—this is how life functions.

Look at any person who’s made it big, someone who inspires you and is a ‘hero’ for you. Dive deeper into their life’s story and you’ll see the fundamental shift a mentor facilitated that completely changed their trajectory of life.

Bill Gates had his co-founder at Microsoft, Paul Allen, as a mentor, brainstorming partner, and guide.

Sachin Tendulkar had his coach, Ramakant Achrekar. Under his guidance, Sachin nurtured his talent, tapped into his power, and quite literally, made the impossible possible in Indian Cricket History.

And Indra Nooyi, one of the most successful business executives and former CEO of PepsiCo, has time and again attributed her success to the fantastic mentoring she received, “I am a product of fantastic mentoring through my entire life. I didn’t pick anybody to be my mentor. They picked me. Good mentors pick you because they see something in you that they want to mentor.”

She also said, “If I hadn’t had mentors, I wouldn’t be here today. I am a product of great mentoring, great coaching…Coaches or mentors are very important. They could be anyone—your husband, other family members, or your boss.”

Honestly, it sometimes feels like we celebrate the wrong people in success stories. Because the people who make the biggest impact are the ones behind the scenes, quietly guiding each step that leads the hero to the spotlight.

And that’s a perspective shift we all need. For when we achieve something big, we tend to forget how little of a role we have played in it.

We start to believe, “Oh, I’m the best. I can achieve everything. I am the master.”

Nothing wrong with believing that, but if you delete the impact of both official and unofficial mentoring that you’ve received along the way, you risk becoming someone people don’t respect.

An entitled brat.

Your ego runs higher than your achievements when you believe in the distorted idea that you are the creator of all your success.

You take unnecessary risks just to prove to the world how great you are. You end up doing things that are usually uncharacteristic for you, but help you remain in the limelight.

Your boastfulness spills off your tongue like coffee from a lopsided cup. You hurt people more than helping them. 

And eventually, people grow tired of you. They may pretend to like you because of the power or success you hold, but behind your back, they are planning for ways to get rid of you.

You know how the rest of the story goes. History is full of riches to rags stories, the fate of fallen kings, and the ones who were once invincible, and are now…nothing.

The way to avoid that crazy downfall is not to play it too humble. It’s to achieve a balance where you believe you’re worth all the success, recognition, and power that you’re getting, but you’re also aware of the fact that you are not the only one who made it possible.

This perspective makes you assertive, confident, bold, and successful, but not an arrogant know-it-all.

When you recognize and acknowledge the massive role your mentors (starting from your parents) have played in shaping who you are, you nourish the two most important qualities for sustained success: curiosity and learnability.

You know you can do better. So even at the zenith of your success, you keep making the time to come back to your personal classroom. You ask yourself the tough questions, you explore new avenues of thinking, you brainstorm new ideas, and you are willing to be wrong because you’re open to learning and feedback.

That’s exactly what Bill Gates, Sachin Tendulkar, Indra Nooyi, and so many others have done.

With this lens, you can not only achieve success and shine, but you can make it last and grow day by day, year by year.

So, the ultimate question is, what do you want? 2 minutes of glory which only you have achieved, or decades of success, fulfillment, and growth where you get everything you want except a distorted sense of your own power?

I’ll always choose the decades over the minutes. I’d love to know what you are choosing today 🙂