What Mentoring Is Not

Let us first start with what mentoring is not.  Mentoring (whether business, personal, or both) is not conducted by authority figure (despite the expansive resume) who pressures you to achieve your desired outcomes no matter the cost.  Conversely, mentoring is not simply a nice person to talk to with no agreements in place or the establishment of some semblance of accountability.  In fact, and what we expect will surprise many of you, mentoring is not at all simply about achieving your goals - a more profitable company or business, a stellar career, a better body, a remarkable improvement in your overall health or family life.  Nope.  

What Mentoring Is

What mentoring really is... the very simple power of sharing your goals and learning how to live more fully engaged and empowered each and every moment.  Desired outcomes therefore, will have a greater likelihood of just simply happening… almost on their own.  Mentoring therefore, is not about what the mentor delivers but about what they together (mentor and mentee) create.  Being mentored is more about learning how to make better, more empowered decisions each and every moment.  Being mentored is for you to talk about your goals and make them real by sharing and envisioning them.  And perhaps the best of all, mentoring is about learning how to enjoy the journey more.  How to simply be genuinely happy!

Who a mentor is and how this happens also may surprise you somewhat.  Mentoring is a relationship between two equals - not a superior master and inferior disciple;  a relationship whereby the mentor immerses his or her whole self in the their mentee's mind, body and spirit.  A mentor is someone who is experienced in understanding YOU - what makes you tick, feel a certain way, act in a certain manner, say the habitual things you say, do the habitual things you do (to yourself and others) and help you go deeper.  

If you are a believer in the old proverb that says, “that for which you seek is found within,” then a mentor is that guide, that person that not only offers a different set of eyes, ears and a mind but, someone who can see what you cannot - inside yourself.    And yes, while we expect you have doubts, concerns and issues, guess what, we all do!  Some more than others of course.  However, it is one of the very important roles a mentor has, is to identify those blind spots, hot buttons, doubts and raise the client’s awareness and work with you to understand why this is and what to do about it.

A mentor's main goal is to listen and ask the questions you sometime ask yourself. To take the internal discussion of your mind and bring it outside of yourself.  To give it a life of its own... outside of you.  Once there, we now question it... not you.  We look at it separate from you.   to question it.  To question you.  They do this because when you have a discussion with yourself you often are never wrong. but you may not always be  doing it in a health manner.

Who Mentoring Is For

It is also very important to mention that mentoring should not be limited to and for leaders, entrepreneurs, successful business owners, the world's best athletes and musicians… No!  Mentoring is for everybody and most certainly, startup business owners like YOU!  Startup business owners who simply seek to live a better life.  Have better relationships.  Reach your startup dreams by removing the doubts, blind spots and issues you normally only try to resolve in your head… on your own.  Mentoring is the path to a happy more fulfilled vision of yourself.  So, let’s face facts, if it works for them then why can’t it work for you?  Answer: It can and it will!

So, if you are one of those who have recently said to yourself that you are not yet ready for a mentor or coach, think twice.  What you may be saying is, you are not yet prepared to challenge yourself - take the game winning shot of your life.   Professional athletes are on TV are coached and challenge themselves daily.  They achieve because they choose to achieve.  They are coached because they choose to be coached.  They chose to find their life’s goal realized.

Why A Mentor

So friends, let us end by asking you this one simple question… “How do you wish to be remembered?”  Have you ever given this great thought?  If not, one could say that you are just winging it.  Throwing your life up for grabs.  You are hoping that people, the world, loved ones will remember you in a way that comforts you.  But, in actuality is that how they will truly remember you?  If not, or if you are not sure, then my suggestion for you is to stop winging it.  Start living your life with greater purpose, fulfillment and happiness.  And, oh by they way, perhaps a few achievements along the way too.
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Andrew is the CoFounder of MentorMash... The world's first and only mentoring system designed specifically for those who aspire to be the very besthttp://www.mentormash.com.
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