What Do You Think About Mentors?

[The Renaissance Man]

By mentor I mean finding someone with wisdom in whatever you're interested in, but I'm mainly thinking about regular personal development, not even spirituality, although I'd like to hear about that perspective too if you have experience.

And then developing a personal connection with the mentor where you can directly learn from them. I don't mean going to a seminar, or watching videos, or reading books. I don't even mean going to a retreat (although I've never gone to one so I don't know how similar a months long retreat could be to having a mentor)

- Have you ever considered finding one?

- Is it realistic?

- Do you have experience with a mentor?

I don't know if trying to find a mentor is a worthy pursuit, or how hard finding a good one can be.

[Hyena]

I find it silly to have a life mentor.

Can we have God (using Conscience) as our mentor ?

Why listen to a devil instead (using Anti-Conscience) ?

[Rafael Thundercat]

1 hour ago, Hyena said:

I find it silly to have a life mentor.

Can we have God (using Conscience) as our mentor ?

Why listen to a devil instead (using Anti-Conscience) ?

Why not make use of someone that applied their life-time in mastering some skill or topic in order to upgrade your own? Is not what many here including me are doing when we listen to Leo content? Of course every thing you listen from Leo or any Mentor will need to become your Direct Embodied experience but the truth is that Leo an many other Masters helped me to clear my path to new understandings, I would take life times to understand what I came to understand via Leo Work. 

[Princess Arabia]

Mentors are great. A lot of successful people had mentors. 

[Adam M]

Mentors can save you years of wrong turns and headaches. My meditation mentor practiced with a modern saint for 37 years... and you already know he showed me some important things about meditation that I couldn't have learned from a book or own my own.

In spirituality theres a big emphasis on living with a guru or a mentor because they are able to transmit an energy to you that might take you 30 years to develop on your own. They can give you "pith instructions" based one where you're at RN and what you need to hear.

My business mentor (blake lagrange) has also saved me years of stumbling around in the dark.

So, yeah, mentors are indispensable. If you want to learn something, find someone who knows how to do it already. It's a pretty intuitive and basic concept.

Later, when you reach unitive stages of development, you can go for being your own mentor. But that doesn't come for a while.

[Davino]

@The Renaissance Man Mentors can become great catalysts for the area you are working with. It's very desirable to find one. Although the mentor has to see a spark in you for the magic to happen.

I've benefited from mentors my whole life and I strongly believe it has played a central role in my success. In whatever area I want to delve into I associate with the best, don't be cheap, it will cost you more in the long run. It's great to have that teacher-to-student connection where both of you love the craft. From languages to martial arts and to my academic studies, mentors have allowed me to bypass traps, become proficient and enjoy the journey.

This is the reason why I'm in the Forum, to learn closely from Leo. I recognise the best when I see them, hence the association happens.

[The Renaissance Man]

Thank you. @Davino @Adam M The kind of relationship you have is direct enough to have personal access? Both because of the wisdom and the personal accountability that comes from having the mentor investing his energy in you.

For example I wouldn't consider Leo, even in this forum, to be that kind of mentor. The advice is still occasional and even if he answers, he can't be that familiar with the situation of everybody, and so the power he can have is akin to a book or a video.

While I know I can find a lot on the topic online, since you seem to have personal experience, @Davino @Adam M , what's some advice you'd give to your past selves, or a person who has currently zero connection with anybody even closely resembling a mentor?

Edited October 9 by The Renaissance Man

[Davino]

@The Renaissance Man Raw determination, if you love what you do, If you are willing to go through the pain and grind of it; you'll eventually succeed. It's this inner roar in your soul that explotes in resilience and pushes through everything. Tap into it.

It's crazy because what I care most about is mysticism yet that's probably the 15% of my day. The rest I'm doing tangential activities so that ten years from now I'll be able to be a full time mystic. You gotta connect the points in your mind and have a wild vision. 

I imagine myself at home not giving a fuck about anything but the crazy awakening I'm experiencing that nobody has yet realized.

You gotta make that sweet dream in your mind to fuel your life. It feels good immediately and remember it's the little joys of life. Appreciating yourself for the work you are doing, for who you are becoming and loving yourself and reality. Being kind and loving, balanced and responsible in your duties. In few words, living the Good Life.

[Jacob Morres]

it's probably a near-necessity for success in something, they will really shortcut the process for you. you can do it without it, but I think a good mentor speeds things up a lot. you can also consider things like masterminds or meetups (small groups of people that meetup regularly)    

i'd say it's 100% realistic. there are so many people you can network with/befriend/pay in just about every field. i don't think it's *that* hard either, but it takes some effort and some mass messaging/networking. maybe like 20 hours of networking and another 20 hours of trial and error?  

for example, i was looking for a mentor in competitive chess, and i found a discord community where people are talking and discussing chess 24/7, really easy to find mentors here. i also paid a (GM) coach weekly $15/hr to coach me (found through fiverr).

there's definitely a bit of trial and error. some mentors are not committed, unskilled, or low integrity. so there is some sorting you need to do 

and of course a mentor can't help you 100%, you need to supplement with your own wisdom & other sources 

 

Edited October 10 by Jacob Morres

[Buck Edwards]

This is what I'm doing currently. I'm constantly looking for mentors for free. And i have found some of them on YouTube. I pick a Youtuber who talks on my subject and consider them my mentor. It helps a lot. 

[Ulax]

@The Renaissance Man I think mentors are great. Just got to make sure they are legit, and that you engage in deliberate practice based on their advice.

[Leo Gura]

Very powerful. The problem is finding one who will give you the time. Realistically it will only happen if you work for them.

Edited October 10 by Leo Gura

[Buck Edwards]

2 minutes ago, Leo Gura said:

Very powerful. The problem is finding one who will give you the time. Realistically it will only happen if you work for them.

What do you mean work for them? 

[The Renaissance Man]

@Jacob Morres Thank you, yeah masterminds are another kind of help I was thinking about. I'm really opening up to the value other people can have in my journey, whether it be a mentor, a mastermind, or a coach or a therapist.

 

Well the answers were overwhelmingly positive. A mentor seems to be indeed very powerful and finding one a worthy pursuit. Makes a lot of sense to be honest, I guess when I do decide to go for it this will be the nudge removing any doubt

[The Renaissance Man]

2 hours ago, Leo Gura said:

Very powerful. The problem is finding one who will give you the time. Realistically it will only happen if you work for them.

@Leo Gura by working for them you mean like an assistant, because then you'll be around them a lot? Or as an apprentice, then coach like the guy who has worked under Ralston for 20 years? Or anything else I'm missing?

[Leo Gura]

1 hour ago, The Renaissance Man said:

by working for them you mean like an assistant, because then you'll be around them a lot? Or as an apprentice,

Yes. How else would they want to be around you?

[Buck Edwards]

1 minute ago, Leo Gura said:

Yes. How else would they want to be around you?

By absorbing their insights continously as they give out more. 

[The Renaissance Man]

@Leo Gura some people talk about the pleasure of teaching to a person who shows seriousness and passion. When people write about finding mentors this is what they typically talk about. If I'm not wrong Robert Greene and Tim Ferriss are two of those people.

I've heard Eben Pagan talk about mentors, I don't think he worked for them. But maybe he already had a name and some value to offer, or maybe a decent network that provided some social proof for the mentor that he wouldn't be a total idiot and a risk of wasted time.

I don't know how realistic it is. Maybe if you find the right combination of an expert who is niche, doesn't do coaching, and likes the idea...

I think it is possible to tap into that simple benefit of being a teacher, but it's probably be a lot harder if you're a total stranger. Anyway, I'm not willing to work for anybody unless I have no other choice. I will inform myself more on how people found their mentors, and what the relationship looked like, realistically.

[Jacob Morres]

@The Renaissance Man

Yeah, and also like it's really important because you are the average of the people you surround yourself with. So just through osmosis of being around these people will be super critical 

[Chadders]

@The Renaissance Man I have a mate who knows a mate that has some wicked charisma and confidence so I’m hoping fate will create the conditions for friendship

Another way is to become friends with people who are older than you. They will likely have more wisdom