DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH YOU DON'T KNOW?

DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH YOU DON’T KNOW?

Written by Coach Mark

If you study the path of the most successful people, you will see that most of them had a considerable amount of guidance and help along the way. There’s no need to re-invent the wheel. It’s just easier to get instructions from someone that has already done what you strive to do. This person is a mentor. A mentor is someone that is going to help you get from where you are, to where you want to be. They show you the potholes in the road and guide you down the best path. To go through life without a mentor, is like trying to go through a jungle without a guide. It’s going to be very dangerous, take you longer, and it just doesn’t make sense. 

Before you begin looking for a mentor, there are a few things that you should ask yourself.

1)   Do you know how much you don’t know? 

A person can never learn a lesson that they think they are already know. Have you ever met someone that thinks they have it all figured out? Someone that thinks they know it all. They lose sight of the need of a mentor, and an enriching opportunity to learn from someone that can provide insight and direction.

If you knew it all, you would have the results and life you are seeking. If you don’t have that….keep reading.

2) How teachable are you?

To determine how teachable you are, there is a scale called “The Teach-ability Index” that measures your teach-ability. There are two variables when it comes to the teach-ability index.

1)   What is your willingness to learn on a scale from 1-10? (What are you willing to give up to learn? Are you willing to give up watching TV or give up playing on the Internet for a few weeks to learn a new skill or craft?) 

2) What is your willingness to accept change on a scale from 1-10? (Are you willing to accept that things may not be as you may have always thought they were? Remember, at one time scientist thought the world was flat. At one time, the idea of having a computer in your pocket was absolutely ridiculous. The more we open ourselves to change, the more we increase what’s possible for us.)

Multiply your willingness to learn by your willingness to accept change, ­to figure out your teach-ability. Don’t start looking for a mentor until your teach-ability score is at least 85-90. It will be a better experience for you and the mentor.

Here are a few places to look for a good mentor when your teach-ability score is high enough

1)   Start with family and friends

2)   Consider those in your extended network (friends of friends)

3)   Research and the Internet (Google, YouTube, Facebook, & LinkedIn)

4)   Your industry and others in your field

5)   Industry events (lunches, seminars, conferences, community groups & chamber of commerce)

To learn more about finding a mentor and some more tips on choosing & dealing with a mentor, listen to Coach Mark’s 30 Power in A Half Hour talk called “ Who Do You Listen To” at www.bit.ly/power012615 or you can listen to more from Coach Mark at www.powerinahalfhour.com - you can also find Coach Mark on Twitter & IG @coachmarkspeaks and on FaceBook – Mark Starr