Are you looking for a life shortcut? Do you want to take a pill that will magically make you smart and successful without having to do any work?
My dream is to have some kind of matrix-like immersion video that teaches you how to fly a helicopter or do jujitsu! I’ll pass on the leap over the street to the building across the road… Virtual reality may one day give us a glimpse into how something like that might feel, but for now you just need to put in the time to learn it.
Robert Greene reminds us on Big Think that although you still need to put in time, there is one path you can take that can help you to learn faster – get a mentor. I’ve been hearing this for years and years, and it totally makes sense. A mentor is usually someone that is older than you, but it doesn’t always work out that way – it isn’t about age, it is about experience. A mentor can help you set goals, overcome challenges, and understand what skills you need to develop to succeed.
We got to be friends with some people who have done some really BIG business – millions and millions kind of big – and they say they would have never been able to do that without having a mentor to guide them, show them what success looked like, what kinds of things to watch out for. They can teach you from their experience so that you don’t have to go through years and years of trial and error to get where you want to go.
And not only can you learn what to do and not do in that particular context, you can shadow them – find out what kinds of habits they have, who they “are.” Because the success of a person isn’t just due to how they conduct their business, it is their mindset, how they move through the world.
It isn’t always easy to find a mentor, but it is worth taking the time to try. One place to start is on mentoring.org, who specializes in mentoring young people. As an adult you can find a mentor too, and it is certainly worth looking for! Mentors are not always easy to find, and while you are looking for one you could find a coach or a mastermind group.
Michael Hyatt shares some ideas of expanding the idea of mentorship to get the help you need – so that you can shortcut the learning process and get where you want to go faster! Check it out: How to Find a Mentor to Help You Go Further, Faster.