There is a special time in all of our lives when we are completely new to a practice, process or way of seeing things. After reading this article, you will be able to understand why and when you need a guide, mentor or navigator. when stepping out into some new aspect of your career, your life or even changing your disposition. at the end are some qualities to look for when choosing a mentor.
Remember as far back as you are able, to when you were a child, you didn't know how to eat, to walk, to tie your shoe or ride a bike. That is at least not until someone took the time to guide you in the ways of doing these simple tasks. How you perform these tasks can be attributed to the right or wrong teacher. Staring a home business is really no different.
You do not come into the marketplace and expect to be successful just by showing up. Additionally, this is time when you are most skeptical because you are also most vulnerable. As an adult, you know that we all must remain cognizant as well as vigilant when taking on new endeavors. Unfortunately we live in a society that is somewhat unscrupulous, that's being conservative. Therefore, we are taught, either by our parents or having been taken advantage of enough times, that if something seems to good to be true than it probably is.
In most cases this skepticism is warranted, however the adverse affect is that it can also keep us from taking on new things and prevent us from seizing perfectly legitimate opportunities, allowing personal life fulfillment to be sacrificed.
For the reasons mentioned above, before taking on a new clients, team members and specially an opportunity you intend to be part of, be sure to have your questions answered. Once you have the answers you are am seeking, then and only then, can you proceed to the next step. You can accept everything as valid then proceed, you can request additional information in order to reach a new decision or you can simply walk away if things appear to be counter productive to attaining your objectives.
Once you decide to move forward, this is where it is extremely pertinent to take on a guide, mentor or navigator. Most people, convince themselves that they can figure things out for themselves and do not seek guidance until it is too late, when they become frustrated and at the verge throwing in the towel. This is human nature and if caught in time can easily be corrected.
As stated in the beginning of this article, we all must start somewhere and admit that we need assistance on learning new skills and ways of doing things this is not only a good choice it is highly encouraged. When choosing your mentor, guide and navigator, here are some things to consider;
1) Are they knowledgeable in the field to the point that you fell confident? Your goal is to become knowledgeable yourself after all.
2) Are they empathetic to your situation and aspirations? Being sympathetic or even apathetic will cause you to not receive the outcome you desire.
3) Are they accessible? Remember, they are there to be your mother, holding your all the way. You must hold yourself to certain level of self sufficiency, However, you do want someone that is accessible to you even if it is only by email or phone.
4) Is their focus on exceeding your expectation as opposed to satisfying their own agenda? You deserve to have someone who is more concerned with your success rather than with filling their wallet.
Bear in mind, that you can expect and deserve only what is best for you when making such a decision. Your future will be dictated by the knowledge you possess and the depth of your skills afforded you by your chosen mentor. By choosing wisely, you are starting a relationship that will endure and be a mutually beneficial experience.