Inspiring Inspiration – Mentorship

Do you feel stuck? Feel like you are lacking guidance or inspiration? I want to float an idea to you that has been instrumental in my success and life in general – get a mentor. Look to people whose careers you love and whose lives you wish to emulate and start following what they have done and what they are doing. And ASK them if they will mentor you. You may be surprised how many people will say “yes” or have another great person in mind for you. Most people will be honored by your request, and the answer will always be a NO if you don’t ask.

There are many routes you can take to find a mentor. You may wish to work with a more structuralized, professional mentoring program. Or, you can simply ask a teacher, community leader, employer, someone well known in the field in which you wish to work, colleague, or friend. When one of my team members was in high school, she knew she wanted to study journalism and attend an Ivy League school. So, she contacted a local TV reporter who had graduated from Harvard and spent some time shadowing her on the job. The entire TV station was thrilled to have an enthusiastic teen around, which created confidence for the reporter. Being an inspiration for the station encouraged her to keep going with it.

I connected with my own amazing coaching mentor, Debbie Phillips, the founder of Women on Fire, in a coffee shop, while dining alone. We started gabbing and never stopped. She has profoundly impacted my career and life in a positive way. (Thanks Deb <3)

Now, with social media, we have an incredible opportunity to connect with people we never thought possible or maybe didn’t even know existed. This has become an excellent resource for finding a mentor.

While there are the big guns like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn where you can search for and follow various people and eventually reach out to them asking for their mentorship, research niche social networks that zero you in on connecting with like-minded people. For example, Mastin Kipp, founder The Daily Love, offers mentorship. All you have to do is click the button at the top of the page that says “Hire Mastin as your Mentor”. As another example, many of you know my close pal Gabrielle Bernstein. She created an awesome social media network HerFuture for women. The motto is “Inspire. Empower. Connect”, and it encourages women to Get a Mentor and Be a Mentor. There are a variety of “power posses”, ranging from career connection to nutrition. You can friend other women, join groups, and engage in chats and discussion boards based on your interests. You can also find niche social networks simply by doing a Google search. Type in something like “social media for ________”, “social media networks for ____________”, or “social networks for __________” and you’ll discover a wealth of networks to join, connect with people, and find that person who inspires you.

Do not think that a mentor has to be solely career oriented. You can find a mentor for parenting, diet, exercise, spiritual growth… any area of your life you feel could use a boost.

I also want to challenge you while you are out there seeking your mentor to ask yourself what special gifts you have to offer that could be used to mentor someone else. Much of my success has come from having a RAD “team” – both people working for me and leading me. The circle of giving on both sides of mentorship builds solid trusting relationships. I am inspired to share my gifts and feel gratitude for the gifts I receive.

Share your thoughts on mentoring. Do you have a mentor? Are you a mentor? Are you struggling to find or be one? Let this community be the first step in getting you on the path to inspiration.

Here’s to an amazingly, inspiring week!

Love Love Love

Terri