Character Development

As far as my greatest mentor goes, I don't think that it's possible for me to pick one. There have been so many people in my life who have influenced my character development that I can't actually narrow it down to one person. But I can certainly narrow it down to two: my parents. Now obviously my parents have effected my character development because they raised me and they disciplined me when I did things that were wrong, but the biggest impact they had was in just being themselves. Every kid copies what adults do, and I was fortunate to have some pretty amazing role models.
One thing that's always stood out to me is that they both showed me to be strong in everything I do. I've seen them in pain and bad health and yet no one would ever be able to guess because they carry on with their commitments with just as much enthusiasm and effort because they see that what they do is helping others and nothing could ever make them give that up. They've stood their ground when fighting for a cause or an idea and they always keep a positive attitude, no matter how full their plate is. I've seen that if you keep at it and give it your best shot, you'll be far happier and a lot more likely to succeed that if you give up when to going gets tough.
They've also shown me just how far kindness can go. Even when they weren't in the best financial situation, they would always be there to offer what support they could to someone who needed it. They could be having the most stressful week imaginable and yet they would be the first to take someone out for lunch who just needed someone to talk to and to comfort them. They both just have such a heart for people and I can tell that it really makes them happy and I want to be able to do the same.
One last thing that my mom and dad have taught me is to trust my gut. If I have a feeling that I'm doing the right thing, then that's what I need to be doing. They've shown me that you can't expect other people to tell you what to do all the time. You need to stand up for what YOU believe in and (as corny and cliche as this sounds) you just have to follow your heart, because if you are honest and compassionate it will lead you in the right direction every time. I've learned from their example that you have to speak up against what you think is wrong and try to make a difference in the best way that you can.
There are so many other valuable life lessons that I've learned from my parents, but those are a few of the ones that I felt are really important. One thing I have witnessed from my parents that I haven't quite been able to apply yet is that you have to have courage. Courage to implement all of those lessons so that your life can be a shining example to others, just like my parents were to me.