Do You Have A Mentor
I was working in one of my niches this weekend and had some questions I needed help with. You know when you are just flowing with ideas, yeah right, and right when you think you have everything figured out you need help. And about then is the time when I ask you, do you have a mentor?
Now, the dictionary list a mentor as a wise and trusted counselor or teacher, an influential sponsor or supporter. And the verb is used in to act as a mentor to. Those are very good definitions and I would go with any one or all of them.
But I just mean plain and simple, someone would can show you the ropes. Give helpful advice when needed. A mentor is someone who has a positive attitude, who is supportive and who helps guide you toward solutions.
They could be someone with whom you can share frustrations and from whom you can learn that there are answers to the various and perplexing difficulties that someone may encounter.
Maybe point you in the right direction or even kick you in the pants and tell you to get to work on whatever you are doing. But in a helpful way.
I know I can find myself thinking that I know it all and then realize that I am way off course with what I want to do. Well that mentor can show you that path again and send you on your merry way. They are usually people who vicariously enjoy the successes of those whom he/she helps.
I see a mentor as a guide, a friend, a listener, a coach, a responsive teacher. They are not a savior, a therapist, or a cool co-worker.
They can provide an extremely rewarding experience, if you are committed to the process. They can be someone who is an expert in the area of your niche project and is willing to help you complete it.
The perfect mentor is one who is experienced in an area where you need a little bit of extra help because you may lack the knowledge or experience.
You should look at them as someone who has done something you would like to try and is willing to share their experience with you. Someone who is an expert in the area of your niche and is willing to help you complete it. They are not a teacher who always tells you what you should do. They are a positive role model, but most of all, a friend.
I see them as a people who provide guidance and advice on what it takes to be a “professional” and what it takes to set goals and succeed in meeting those goals. So I ask you again, do you have a mentor?
