Experience is the best teacher of all. We all learn from experiences and definitely from others experiences as well.

You are exactly right my friend the only difference between you and your so called mentor is experience. Once you have learned the ropes you do not need a mentor anymore and you might be even better than that mentor.

Having a mentor is not so bad we all do want it to teach us the basics and how it's done. However, if you keep relying on your mentor to show you everything you are limited to what you are shown. Learn from your mentor but don't be lazy to learn on your own as well.

It's like having an old recipe and putting your own touch to make the perfect dish.