“You’re an Idiot!” That was the first thing I was told by one of my mentors. He’d just reviewed the financials of my failed business, and those were his first words to me! He slapped me with those words because I delayed going to him for advice, and he showed me how he could have saved the business if I would have come in sooner. That was an incredibly hard day for my ego, but now years later I can honestly say it was a positive turning point in my life. I learned two critical lessons from my mentor that day. First, if we were going to be successful in business we needed to have internal systems set up (we did not). Second, he noticed a pattern in the businesses that we owned. After 12 to 18 months of owning a business, we needed to be selling instead of holding on to them. At the time, I thought the only business model was to buy, build and hold the business until death do us part. However, he noticed something about my personality that I did not; I enjoyed the process of turning around a distressed business but then would get bored and focus on the next new business. Without good mentors I never would have learned these critical lessons and would continue making the same mistakes over and over!
Everyone needs good mentors! Look at the greatest, most successful people in the world. They all have good advisors, coaches, or mentors. There are three things I look for in good mentors:
- They must have and be what I want to have and be. Choose wisely for they will speak into your life.
- A good mentor cares more about your future than your feelings! This eliminates family and friends as your mentors – they will care more about your feelings.
- In the beginning, mentors will believe in you more than you will in yourself. You will need this because we will make so many mistakes, and they will keep you accountable, forcing you to keep taking action.
Find yourself some good mentors for the different areas of your life: Spiritual, Relational, Financial, Emotional, and Physical. They will help you get to where you want to go in half the time, half the money, and half the frustration! Find your passion and you will find your life!