Many people are convinced they are looking for a mentor but in actual fact what they are looking for is a coach, now you might be asking yourself, well what is the difference? Believe me when I tell you that there is a vast difference. When one is looking for a mentor in what ever area of life it might be, you are looking for someone who has mastered and practices on a daily basis what it is that you wish to achieve.
A coach on the other hand is someone who has an interest in the field and is willing to guide you as to becoming your best in the field even if they have never actually excelled in the field themselves, they are there to keep you on track. They will constantly correct your mistakes for you and try to teach you how to improve on what ever area it is you are receiving the coaching on.
The mentor on the other hand will allow you to observe what it is that they do so as to succeed in this area but will not actually correct your mistakes for you, but rather give you insight into how you can improve on your own so as to be more successful.
Both of these are very effective ways for you to reach the goal which you have in mind, but when one is shown the correct way to do something but still left to make your own mistakes in your learning process, the end result is often very different and when you learn from your own mistakes, it is often a lesson which you will never forget.
You need to understand that if you successfully choose the correct mentor, they will allow you to observe what it is that they do and how they do it so as for you to learn how to make this practice your own and allow it to be as beneficial to you as it was for them. In my Wealth Creators Mentorship Program, I effectively show my students exactly what I do in order to be a Wealth Creator, however, how they choose to use what I am showing them is completely their own decision and this is what makes it a mentorship program and not a coaching program.
If my students decide to do things which are not part of the program, they must be willing to accept responsibility for their actions and realize that they truly are the owner of the results which they receive, whether they are positive or negative, due to their own actions, if I were a coach, I would have immediately told them they are deviating from the coaching program and at the end of the day they would not have learned how to be accountable for their own decisions and actions.
So how does one then go about choosing the correct mentor so as to grow in whatever area of our lives it is that we feel we could improve on? Firstly, you need to know what it is which you wish to achieve by having a mentor, once you have been able to do this, you will need to start looking around for someone who possesses these qualities and whom you feel you could learn from.
Ideally this person or potential mentor should be someone who epitomizes your idea of success, has a positive attitude and is willing to openly share their knowledge in the area of your interests with you. If you are able to find such an individual, chances are you have found a potential mentor.
But how should one approach this potential mentor so as to convince them that you are serious about learning from their knowledge and that they would not be simply wasting their time by allowing you to feed of their knowledge?
Many times the person who has been qualified by you as a potential mentor will want to know why it is that they should share their knowledge with you, so it is often a good idea to have concrete reasons and plans in place so as to be able to show them you are serious about the whole thing and in this way you will be able to begin to establish a relationship of trust and your plans will show them exactly what it is which you want to give and receive from the relationship.
It is essential that you are very clear as to what it is you wish to learn right from the beginning and that your communication is as upfront as possible, in this way you can avoid disappointment and miscommunication which might occur if your mentor is not aware of exactly what it is you wish to achieve.
The secret to it all is the fact that a successful mentorship begins with you, once you have established a relationship with your mentor it is essential that you communicate your needs to them so as to let them clearly understand what direction they should lead you in so as for you to achieve your goals.
Very often the only thing which a good mentor will seek in return is your commitment and the reward of seeing you apply what you have learned in a way that will help you to achieve your goal, be sure that the mentor which you choose is willing to take your concerns earnestly and is willing to point you in the right direction so that you can become the best that you can possibly be in the area of your life which they are mentoring you in.
Always remember though, to actually reap the rewards of having an effective mentor, you will need to have commitment on your side to put in the required time, effort and investment so as to be able to actually pick the fruits of your labor, without this no mentor or for that matter coach in the world will be able to help you as you have not taken the time to invest in yourself so as to be the best that you can be.