My first mentor was Mister Rogers. That’s right. Fred Rogers from Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. I did not want to be like Mister Rogers when I grew up. Instead, Fred Rogers taught me how to think about things in my world.
That’s my definition of “mentor”. A mentor is:
- A person who has knowledge and experience from which I want or need to learn, and
- they have a platform for sharing their information with me. i.e., books, videos, in-person meetings, etc.
Notice what’s not on that list: A person you can meet face to face.
Have you ever heard someone talk about meeting their mentor for coffee and wished you had a mentor, too? I know I sure have. I wondered, how did they make that happen? Why don’t I have a mentor?
I imagined weekly breakfast meetings where my mentor would share their wisdom and special insights over black coffee and fresh squeezed orange juice. My imaginary mentor gave me all the information I needed to succeed in life and business.
Continue reading “How to find a mentor”