It’d be a failure on my part not to start by acknowledging this moment: Somehow, we’ve made it to the final 10 stories. Everything about the first 10 felt like a drag to me with so much resistance.

And if I’m being honest, the next 15 are an absolute blur. If you asked me what T-28 was about, I wouldn’t be able to tell you. Truthfully, it wasn’t until around T-16 that I started waking up.

And then T-14, my video with Hazel, blew up. Now we’re here, in the homestretch.

When I jotted down the 40 lessons I wanted to discuss, today was originally split up into two: Both Find a Mentor and Be a Mentor.

What I had not anticipated through any of this was that I would actually find a mentee.

Yet here we are. Two people, thousands of miles separating us, 15 years between us. Hazel and I have become fast friends, learning from each other, and how the other’s generation operates.

She’s spoken about me using words so kind I’m embarrassed to put them here. You can see several of them in the comments of the video above.

It’s been an honor getting to know Hazel and helping her through the troubles of her 20s that I remember struggling through. As I think back on my harder years, it makes me wish I’d given myself the same opportunity to find someone to guide me.

The motivation to become a mentor, or to find one, both take heart. It takes vulnerability. And it’s worth every bit of it. Because the growth that happens, regardless of which role you play, can change you. It can push your capacity to love, and listen, and learn years ahead of where you are now.

I would encourage you to find someone ahead of you. Reach back for someone behind you.

As we boldly step into the final 10, this one might just be this project’s legacy. And I’m not upset about that.