Mentors
I’ve had quite a number of mentors throughout my lifetime and, to me, this is one of the secrets to setting big gorgeous goals.
We need people who can be mentors and advisors that will help and encourage us along the road as we work on our big gorgeous goals. I’ve had some mentors who stayed with me through certain stages of what I’m working on and some who I’ve had long-term relationships with.
Mentorship is what happens when you sit at the feet of somebody, learn from them, and listen to what they have to say. These are people who have gone before you and while they might not have done exactly what you’re doing, they have experience that can be valuable to you.
I look at mentoring as a real exercise of “pay it forward.” I’ve been the beneficiary of great mentoring in the past and I was able to build strong relationships with some of them for a long time. Now, in return, I mentor lots of people coming up in business who are also trying to do great things and set big goals and I think that that’s where that "pay it forward" mentality comes in around mentoring.
Here are just a few benefits of having a mentor:
1. They can make introductions for you.
2. They can offer subject matter expertise.
3. They can be a sounding board.
4. They bring a different perspective.
Having a mentor will allow you to really examine, test, and knock on the door of the idea you’re working on or the problem you’re tackling. That can be incredibly valuable for identifying where you might have blind spots and when you aren’t sure exactly where to go.
These are just a few reasons why mentors are very important. A mentor doesn’t have to be someone you know formally but can be somebody that you buy lunch for or have coffee with once a year. The beauty of finding people who are willing to impart their wisdom and listen to the journey you’re on is invaluable and they are worth every lunch or coffee that you buy them. In the end, some may even become friends and long-term people in your life.