Self Improvement Millionaires

“A single conversation across the table with a wise man is

worth a month’s study of books”

- Chinese Proverb

What is a mentor? Webster’s defines a mentor as “a wise and trusted counselor or teacher.” A mentor is someone who will be your trusted advisor and coach. This is ideally a person who is smart, successful, and very perceptive. The quality of your success is in direct correlation to the quality of your mentor. Your mentor could be someone who is well known in his or her field or in the community. It could be someone who is part of your religious organization, or a family friend.

GET LUCKY BY HAVING A MENTOR

I have been lucky enough to have had several mentors in my life and they have had an immeasurable impact on me. Let me repeat- they have had an impact on me that you cannot possibly imagine. Why is it important to have a mentor? It is important to have a mentor for many reasons:

YOU CAN’T THINK OF EVERYTHING YOURSELF

As much as you would like to think you can, you can’t think of everything! Many times, when you are involved in a situation, you can’t see the forest through the trees. Simply put, you may be too close to the situation. A mentor has the ability to step back from the action and to review it objectively. Let’s say that you are fighting a battle on the ground, but you have a radio connection to a helicopter high above the action. That is the perspective of your mentor. Secondly, they aren’t emotionally involved, so they have the ability to be more objective. Lastly, it is the classic “two heads are better than one” approach. Your mentor extraordinaire may come up with ideas that are new and different. I have had mentors who’ve caused me to think, “I wish I would have thought of that!”

YOU DON’T ALWAYS HAVE ENOUGH EXPERIENCE

Your mentor may have experienced the same situations in the past and have excellent advice on how to handle it. Let me give you an example. My sixteen-year-old daughter is very pretty. In fact, she is model pretty! A few years ago, she came home from school one day and said, “I am ugly, because no guys will ask me out.” This was her perception, and I was able to share with her my experience. I told her that when I was in the tenth grade and lacked confidence, I wouldn’t ask pretty girls out because I was intimidated. I know this, because I experienced it. The reason guys were not asking her out is that she was too pretty! That is the advantage that a

TWO HEADS ARE BETTER THAN ONE

Have you ever tried to play tennis by yourself? It’s pretty boring, isn’t it? You don’t have anyone to return your volley or to push you to the next level. Having a mentor is similar to having a great partner in tennis- it is someone to bounce ideas around with you and help you to improve your game. Having someone to bounce ideas around has, for me, always resulted in better ideas.

NAVIGATE THE CORPORATE CULTURE

If your mentor is someone who works at your company, they can help you navigate the corporate culture. They can help you understand the different personalities and quirks of each person. Having this kind of guidance can be a great help and make your life easier.

SAVE TIME ON YOUR CLIMB

A great way of saving time on your climb up the corporate ladder is to have a mentor. There are people who have already learned what you are learning and have experienced what you are now experiencing. As Brian Tracy, noted author and speaker, says, “If you want to be successful, find someone who has already done it – and do it the same way they did.”

(www.newlightlearning.com) a company specializing in training and development programs for the cable industry. He has also authored six books on leadership, sales, creativity and motivation. His latest book The 10 Foundations of Motivation was published last year in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and Malaysia.