True mentoring goes far beyond the offerings of friendly advice, career guidance or life coaching.
When you choose your mentors, consciously or unconsciously, you are committing to a direct transferring of knowledge, experience and behaviour that may either hinder or empower you depending on who your role model is.
Mentorship is so important for young people and, in particular, boys growing up without a positive male role model in their lives. But we can all benefit from a mentor at various stages in our careers.
To find a suitable mentor, the first step is to simply identify someone who is where you want to be in life. A person who you can relate to and has travelled a similar path and who displays the strength, skills and attributes that you wish to emulate. It could be a someone within your organisation or existing network, or perhaps further afield. Follow their journey. Do they blog, post content on social channels, or have they published a book? Success leaves trails, so it’s for us to track their journey.
You can approach a prospective mentor after you’ve done your research. Don’t let your enthusiasm get the better of you and refrain from putting forward your proposition too soon. Reach out to the perspective mentor requesting an informal chat over coffee or lunch, or perhaps through social media. It doesn’t have to be a formal mentor/mentee relationship. If your role model is difficult to gain access to, there are still many ways you can learn from and be inspired by them.
I believe you take on the characteristics of those that you identify with, meaning you don’t have to be in that person’s presence in order to form a connection. This can be done remotely or just by pure intent. By studying someone’s life or teachings, you form energetic connections. You embrace their ethos and connect with their life force. As you learn more and study their path, you are drawn to emulate that with which you resonate. The closer their journey is to yours, the more similarities they share, and the more you will connect with them.
Although I never had the benefit of a 1-2-1 mentor relationship at the start of my journey, this didn’t stop my success as I found my mentors in books to help me in the journey. Reading gave me access to the teachings of many different experts and gurus on the subjects of entrepreneurism, wealth, success, spirituality and transformation. As well as reading I made the commitment to attend workshops and short courses, and was able to establish my own philosophy according to what worked best for me.
If you make your decision consciously then your goal is to embrace your mentor’s positive traits and the characteristics that drew you to them. Your decision should be based upon wanting to grow. So, look for the navigational tools that will help you to achieve your goals, whatever they may be.
About the Author
Ryan Jackson is a serial entrepreneur, business success coach and motivational speaker who runs multiple businesses in the UK and abroad. His new book, The Success Rebellion, was released on 16th October.
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