Otherwise, 2006 looms as being pretty much like 2005, or 4, or 3 , or any other year in your life in terms of your personal growth and fulfillment.
Several years ago I wrote an editorial while I was working at a daily newspaper. I recently found it online, in that paper's archive, and want to share it with you now.
Enjoy, and Happy New Year !
Have You Considered Finding and/or Being a Mentor?
by Joe Paris
Years ago, at the beginning of what I thought was going to be my storytelling career, I attended an all-day workshop with a renowned expert in storytelling.
There was room for only eight of us, so we each received a lot of individual attention and came away with a new look at storytelling.
In addition, however, this world famous storyteller shared many other words of wisdom about how to reach the next level and the next and the next. One of his suggestions that has stayed with me and has been a terrific help over the intervening years was the importance of finding a mentor and also being willing to become a mentor.
He and another famous storyteller have been meeting regularly in a mentor relationship for years, and both have extolled the benefits. In this article I will share what I believe to be some of the ins and outs of mentorship.
What is a mentor and what is a mentor's role? I decided to look mentor up in the dictionary and found the succinct descriptions: "trusted counselor or guide," " a wise, loyal advisor," and "a teacher or coach." I feel the operative words here are "trusted," "wise" and "loyal."
We have all had mentors in our lives, but not always considered them to be a mentor. A mentor may have been a parent, who was more than a parent; a teacher who was more than a teacher; a coach, who was more than a coach; a friend, who was more than a friend. Thinking back, I realize how lucky I have been to have had the mentors I had.
My family members were my first mentors. At different times, these included my father, my mother, my grandmother, my grandfather, and great-uncle. They were not only wise, trusted, and loyal, but also, they believed in me and my potential. They made me realize the value of giving my very best to every project.
In school, I had a few teachers who went far beyond being teachers by spending extra time and effort with those of us who tried. In college, my advisor showed such obvious joy in my accomplishments, I had to do well for his sake, as well as my own.
Think back about the people who have been mentors to you. I would add a few more words to the definition. I feel that a mentor is a lot more than a counselor, guide, teacher, or coach. A true mentor cares and is someone who believes in you so much that he or she causes you to believe in yourself. A true mentor will give you the confidence to get up and fully participate in your area of interest, and feel great about it.
Where do I find a mentor? There is that old saying that "when the student is ready, the teach appears." If we decide we need a mentor now and then actively seek one, so often we will be disappointed because we are trying too hard.
On the other hand, if we remain open and giving of our time and expertise to others, we will be surprised by how many mentor opportunities appear.
The first step to finding/being a mentor is to explore your areas of interest by participating in activities with others who share your interest. You must first decide what interests you, and where such a group of folks who share that interest may be found.
One of my favorite mentors was a woman with a national reputation in writing rather than storytelling. I met her years ago at a National Convention. She gave an incredible workshop that I will never forget.
We talked a bit because, even though I was working on my storytelling career at the time, deep down I realized that my true passion was and is writing. Since then she and I have gotten to know each other and I have attended a couple more of her workshops and training sessions. She may not even realize how much influence she has had on my life.
It is important that the mentor-mentee relationship is satisfying to both people involved. If you find someone you would like to have as a mentor, ask him or her if they are willing. If they back out gracefully, or just say, "No," accept the answer graciously and without devastation. If you are accepted as a mentee, make sure that you know the ground rules: what you both expect from the relationship.
If your mentor suggests that you make certain changes to push yourself to a new level, will you be willing to follow those suggestions? Being a mentor can be satisfying and exhilarating as long as you feel that your mentee is giving it his or her all. If, however, you begin to feel drained and/or manipulated, it is time to bow out.
I once became involved in a mentor-mentee situation where the young man I was meeting with on a regular basis gave me the impression that he was not genuinely making the effort to develop his own talents, abilities and knowledge, but, rather, simply enjoying all the attention he was getting from me.
The minute I started to feel this way, I suggested that we not meet so often. We have remained friends and now see each other once in awhile for fun. I feel strongly that as long as both of you feel that your relationship is beneficial, keep it up; but once it isn"t good for one and/or both of you, have the guts to move on.
Make it a goal for 2006 to attend a retreat/conference/convention. For a special mentoring experience which can last from one day to a week, there are retreats/conferences/conventions taking place all over the country. These are generally led by a well known person in your area of interest, are attended by a number of others who share your interest, and offer each attendee (mentee) the chance to create, share, coach and be coached.
You not only receive lots of individual attention, you are spurred on to excellence by the whole group. I have attended many of these and can trace my growth in my different areas of interest from the incredible sharing and learning opportunities offered.
So, ask yourself the following questions:
Who have been my best mentors over the years and what have I learned from them?
Is there someone I would like to have as a mentor now?
Is there someone I would like to mentor now?
When and how will I start on my mentor quest?
The time is now! Try it ! You will be glad you did!
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Also - enjoy these insights from another article I found on the web:
"The Importance of Finding a Mentor"
by Holly Cotter
What is a mentor?
A mentor is someone who will work personally with you to help you build a successful business.
Why would YOU want a mentor?
Although it is possible to achieve success on your own, you can save yourself a lot of time and money by finding someone who...
Has a personal track record for success.
Is willing to share their success secrets with you.
You see, there are so many options available when choosing a business opportunity that it is very difficult to know WHAT opportunities are good ones and which ones are simply scams or just plain old flops.
Likewise, there are many marketing strategies to choose from. It's very difficult to know which ones work and which ones are just a waste of money.
When I first started my business, I could not find anyone successful who was willing to work personally with me and share their insider knowledge.
So, I relied upon books to teach me the "in's and out's" of marketing.
This is one way to get great mentoring. Simply start reading books authored by persons who have been successful. In doing so, you'll learn some of their secrets, and be able to start to duplicate their actions (and their success).
But, the absolute BEST way to be mentored is by working directly with a real, live human being.
Unfortunately, the people who are successful are usually either too busy with their work (or too busy enjoying the fruits of their labor) to have the time to work one-on-one with very many people...especially people they don't know.
So, for most of us, the best way to find a living, breathing mentor is to...
*** Join A Membership Website! ***
There are several membership sites that offer quality training and support.
You want to find one that is run by someone who has TRULY achieved success. The site should also include the following features:
The ability to chat online with the mentor.
A message board so you can get questions answered quickly.
Easy-to-follow written training material.
Access to a variety of business-building resources.
I have personally belonged to several membership sites over the years, but only a few of them were worth their salt. Don't be afraid to be picky -- you want to find the best mentor you can.
No matter who you are, finding a mentor will...
Save you money.
Save you time.
Help you build your income much faster.
As they say..."You can be in business FOR yourself, but you never have to be in business BY yourself!"
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