As a guy who wants to impact as many people as possible to become better. I try to help others be intentional as well. If I do it all myself it will never work. So the question I was asked a while back as got me thinking and as a result has got me writing.

The question – How do I get more impact out of each of my steps?

This is a great question because what my friend was starting to ask is, if I only have so much time and only so much energy how do I maximize it? There are a bunch of different ways to maximize your steps, as he put it, but the one I am going to focus on here is having a Mentor. Mentors are a piece of the puzzle but if you see all the pieces and have no clue where to start then a mentor is a great spot, because they can help you figure the rest out.

In this article I want to show you…

• The purpose of a mentor.
• How to get one.
• What to do once you have one.

The purpose of a mentor.

A mentor is someone who is giving guidance out of experience or wisdom.

Mentors are …

• great for advice in situations
• good to bounce ideas off of
• available for gut checks

Mentors will …

• See things you will not see
• Know things you will not know
• Understand things you will not understand
• Help you think clearly and thoroughly
• Help you come to your own conclusions

Assignment: write down your pursuits. What would you have a mentor for?

How do I get a mentor?

First steps

• Identify the things that you want to pursue
• Identify individuals around you who do those things well
• Ask them for opportunities to interact with you about your pursuits

Here are a few questions that people have asked me when discussing this in the past.

1. Can I have more than one mentor?

Yes – not to many though – this is not the Verizon network. Your goal is to pursue your goals. You should not be pursuing 17 goals, you will not attain any of them. Pick the top 2 or 3 and go after them and move on down the list once you have accomplished the fist few.

2. Do I have to agree with everything they believe?

No – the goal is to grow in your pursuits. Sometimes you will find someone who is amazing in one area that you are pursuing while the rest of their life is nothing like what you dream of. For instance: Barry Bonds, I might go to him to learn how to hit a home run but I would not ask him secrets concerning gaining muscle mass. Make sense.

Assignment: Name a few people who you could ask to be your mentor.

What do I do once I have a mentor?

Once you have a mentor you want to allow them into your head and life, then pick their brain about what they see and what they are thinking. Here are a few ways to help you do that.

• Have a list of questions that you want to ask them concerning the area of pursuit for every time that you meet with them.
• Take notes on their advice.
• Take the advice and guidance that they give to you and implement some of it.
• Write down your observations of what happened, resulting questions, and your growing understanding.
• Run by them your observations, questions and understanding. Ask if your understanding is correct and if they would aid you in processing what happened.
• Review your next steps with them.
• Allow them to ask you questions to their liking.
• Seek opportunities to interact with them while they are doing whatever it is they do. When they speak, teach, or demonstrate get involved and watch everything they do.

Assignment: Write down a few questions that you would ask them if you had the chance. Write down something you would go watch them do.

Conclusion.

As you are looking forward and wanting to grow find someone that can help you identify the next few steps. There are a gifted few that enjoy forging ahead on their own, for those few, make sure you have a close friend or mentor as well. Some one needs to be there to help you up when the pushing gets the better of you.

For all of you, Please leave comments of how you work through the assignments and how it goes. I would love to hear of your growth and of those helping you reach your goals.