So many people mentor young adults wanting to just make miniature versions of themselves, trying to pass on themselves, living vicariously through their mentees. That was never something my friend and mentor Rep. Curt Nisly did. He drilled into my head one of his favorite quotes "Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the wise men of old. Seek what they sought."
He said that I wasn't supposed to be his clone but rather his legacy. To be a legacy that he could be proud to leave behind. Curt Nisly didn't want a young "yes, man" (or rather a yes, woman) but someone who would make him proud. Make him proud by not just following his beliefs but by following the morals, goals, and principles he lives his life to.
Perhaps one of the biggest lessons Rep. Nisly ever taught me was standing on principle. It sounds like a big cliche to say, but that is a major priority of his. He encouraged me in the immortal words of Thomas Jefferson: "In matters of fashion drift with the tide, in matters of principle stand like a rock."
Sometimes our principles differed, we have several beliefs that are actually totally opposite, but Rep. Nisly taught me to always stand up and to always speak out. No matter who agrees, no matter what he thought. No matter what.
