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Achieve Success and Happiness With a Mentor

Is really possible to have your cake and eat it too? You may think that in life you must choose between success and happiness.

In Fact, you don’t have to choose if you find the right mentor. A mentor can help you achieve both success and happiness at the same time.

What ever your goal is, finding the right mentor will make your chance of accomplishing that goal quicker, smoother, and more fun. Whether your goal is to climb the corporate ladder, increase your network, find stimulating projects or enter into a new career path, a mentor can help you. A wise person said that a smart person learns from his own experience and a wise one learns from the experience of others.

So what is a mentor anyway?
A mentor is a person that has achieved what you want personally and/or professionally AND is willing to help achieve those same things. A mentor has the real life knowledge and experience to guide you through the process of achieving your goals.

Are you ready to be a protégé?
You know the saying; when the student is ready the teacher will come. The same goes for a mentor; before you even begin looking for a mentor you need to find out if you are ready to be a protégé.

To be a protégé you need to be open for learning, advice and opportunities the mentor may offer. The mentor may share with you their valuable knowledge, time and experience.

If you are not ready to appreciate and accept that, then mentoring is not for you. Before going forward with the mentoring process ask yourself three questions:

• Am I willing to learn new information?
  
• Am I willing to invest the time and energy into learning?
  
• Am I willing to value and respect my mentor’s knowledge, experience and time?

If you answered “NO” to any of the previous questions then you might want to reconsider acquiring a mentor because, having a good mentor starts with you being ready to be mentored.

Six step Action plan for finding a mentor
If you are ready to be a protégé, then the next logical step is to formulate a plan to finding the right mentor for you.

Below is the basis of a plan that we use successfully with our coaching clients. It is a simple process to help identify your goals, your optimal mentor and how to approach that mentor.

1. Identify what you want and need (Personal and/or career goals)
2. Identify Mentor’s Desired characteristics (their values, knowledge, access to others, and skills)
3. Create a list of potential mentors to match your goals
4. Prioritize the potential mentors in an ordered list
5. Approach potential mentors
6. Build rapport with the mentor and get their advice.
   For a detailed plan on how to find a mentor:

Download: Download the attached worksheet:

“Six Step Action Plan for Finding a Mentor” (128KB PDF).

Summary
High performers in society attribute a large potion of their success and happiness to great mentors in their life. Bill Clinton, Opera Winfrey, and Colin Powel are a few examples of the many success stories attributed to having a good mentor. If you are interested in success and happiness in your professional life and want to achieve it quicker, then find a mentor and learn from their experience.

A smart person learns from his own experience and a wise person learns from the experience of others.