Never miss an opportunity to thank someone who believed in you

Since childhood, I’ve been astoundingly blessed to have had teachers and mentors who poured their time and encouragement into my personal development.

One of them was a champion for developing an “attitude of gratitude,” acknowledging when doors are opened, successes are celebrated, when someone has the courage to extend “tough love,” or generously gives of themself.

I recently had a serendipitous opportunity to reconnect with another mentor whose sage wisdom resonates with me decades later.

In high school, I was a writer for my hometown newspaper, the Lake Charles American Press. While the stories I covered for its page dedicated to teen issues may seem trivial today, this experience laid the foundation for a love of writing that’s at the core of my professional calling.

Sonny Marks, my editor at the Press, gave such thoughtful feedback on my stories. In fact, he imparted particular advice that I never imagined would resonate so deeply all these years later. His words of wisdom are something I quote to my own mentees and younger colleagues to this day.

This week, Sonny happened to be in Tyler for work and we had an opportunity to catch up after far too long.

He’s now deputy counsel for an S&P 600 company. While he’s no longer at the paper, he’s a still advocate for impactful journalism in Louisiana, doing some great volunteer work with the Community Foundation of Southwest Louisiana. He also pens columns for the American Press from time to time and has authored a book.

I’m so grateful for people like Sonny Marks who have believed in me, encouraged me, and were such outstanding examples of devoted journalists.

Who gave you “a big break” or “took a chance” on you? Did someone believe in you when it seemed no one did? Or was there a teacher or mentor whose influence is something you now pass on to others? Never miss an opportunity to to say “thanks!”