The other day I talked to an old friend. It turns out, she actually cares about finances. Now let me remind you wife and I have been debt-free since early 2010 and have taught Financial Peace University twice — and yet it’s still hard to find people who actively want to improve their finances.

So it was refreshing to discuss money with her. But to top it off, she asked for us to keep her accountable to her budget! The answer was a most obvious yes. She’s level-headed, didn’t whine about trading restaurants for retirement, and even listened to a couple of our ideas.

My jaw hit the floor and stayed there for some time.

Wife and I assumed people like this existed somewhere in the universe. I’ve heard of them, and even met a few. But man are they rare. Wife and I had pretty much given up hope of being close to any of them. Let alone mentor one.

I have many mentors, some of which are unaware of how much I’ve learned from them. But I’m not a mentor to many people — at least not directly — which I’d like to change.

Let’s face it. I’d be in a much worse place without mentorship. Where would you be right now without wise people in your life? Do you dare tell us about it in a comment?

Only God, my immediate family, and my wife can account for the ridiculous spread of screwups I have made. Assuming you breathe oxygen, you have made your own fair share. If you die without teaching anyone what you have learned, though, all of that experience dies with you.

The though of influencing others to avoid just some of our pitfalls is humbling — a privilege we should not take lightly. Just as we have needed mentors all this time, others need us to be mentors now.