Why You Need A Mentor To Get Past Your Own Limitations
By: Sandi Krakowski
Last week I sat in front of my computer wondering what to write about. My mind was blank, nothing really 'grabbed' me as something I should write about. Then I got an update on my iPhone texts, a news update, "Apple announces Steve Jobs has died." You can read that article here.
Years ago that would have seemed like an impossible task, being able to just sit down and write. I remember the years I spent learning more and more about copywriting, studying under some of the best writers online and offline. One of the biggest things that impacted my life was learning when my 'writing flow' was most active in my life. For me, it's very early in the morning. Yet, ironically… most of my blog posts and articles are now written in the evening. I can also 'whip up' a best selling email campaign anytime I need to. Working with clients everyday for the last 10 months has also given me the ability to help them write and create great content anytime of the day!
So how did I get there?
The power of mentoring has done more for me in my entire career than anything else I've implemented.
It was a mentor who told me, "If you want to become an incredibly powerful 'at will' writer, who can write killer content at will, become a ferocious reader." So I did. Reading is like working out for me. Listening to audio books at least 2-3 hours per day is like creme on top of the cake!
Many years ago, my words were different, the way I created a PPC ad was hardly what it is today. Experience, working online for 14 years, being faithful and diligent to work with mentors who could pull out of me the best of my abilities has been the single most profitable thing I've ever done.
Before you think that just any mentor will work, trust me, it won't.
In my career I've always made a point of making sure my mentors were active and alive in the game, which means they aren't doing the 'same thing' they were doing 15 years ago, exactly the same way. My mentors have mentors, they participate in self-improvement and they are active in the field that I seek their advice in.
In just two weeks one very special mentor of mine will be retiring. His idea of retirement is much like mine…. it means he works A LOT less, he travels A LOT more but he NEVER stops working. He just works in a month what he used to work in a week with the best one on one clients he can find. That's my dream, that by the time I'm in my 60's to be working with clients who pay me $ 30,000 for a weekend and I take them to $ 5 million in a year. With every fiber of my being I can see and know that will happen. By the way, that KNOWING that I carry? It's a result of GOOD spiritual mentoring I've been doing regularly for the last 8 years as well!
But back to my mentor who is retiring.
Bill Glazer will be leaving Glazer Kennedy later this month. I'm so blessed to be with him several days this week and for a private consult in his office this Friday. A day of intense marketing with a genius who knows his craft! But there's something else I really love about Bill Glazer that I want to share with you, as you seek good mentors. He's a good man. He really is. His daughter Mara and I have become friends and I see his goodness in her when we talk. She has that fire of dreaming bigger, the passion to pursue her dreams even if it's totally different than what she got a degree for years ago. He has a wife he adores, and plans for his NEW future. That makes him a GREAT mentor for me. (By the way I'll be paying him enormous fees to BE one of those exclusive, private one on one clients in 2012! )
One of my big measuring sticks for mentorship is that- are they someone I want to become like.
Mentoring is something that I would strongly encourage you to consider as we move forward into 2012. This is going to be a year when some people see a BIG breakthrough manifest into their lives that they've been planning for and working towards for years. That's how it was for us.
What we did in the last 18 months was the sum result of what we planned, worked hard and implemented towards during the last 3 years, specifically and during the last 14 years over all.
Mentoring is much different than taking a few classes online.
The word mentor means a trusted friend, counselor or teacher, usually a more experienced person.
Be sure the person you are working with has more experience and knowledge than you do. Also, and this is a big key, be sure they are a good teacher. Someone with experience and knowledge without the ability to teach or counsel you to the next level of success is going to end up being a frustration for you. Find someone you can trust and lean on, who will push you, support you and help YOU to achieve your goals for your life.
A mentor can't have an "Ugly Alpha" role in your life. They must be someone you know has your best interest at heart and they aspire to help you to achieve more in your life and your business than you ever could alone.
When I was active in bodybuilding, I had a mentor who helped me to see what I was capable of for my future. My mentor made a commitment to me to not let me slack off and to 'call me' on my stuff so that my GOALS could become reality. This is what I pay mentors for still today. Going into 2012 I'll invest more than I did in 2011, which ended up being multiple 6-figures in mentoring fees. And I'll do it with ONE big focus in mind… the people who trust ME to be their mentor.
I'll never forget the words Bill Glazer spoke over me that really hit me deeply and reminded me I was on track.
He said,
"When you closed more than $ 500,000 in business in 28 hours last year Sandi, completely selling out your coaching business, the money wasn't the biggest thing I was proud of you for. It was a great achievement and one that many people will want to emulate, but the thing I am most proud of you about is that your next thought was "Who can I hire to mentor me so that I can stay on top of my game for all of these people who trust me." This is what I am most proud of you for because you understand the seriousness of leading others as a Mentor."
My friends, you need a mentor to get to your next level. You also need someone to mentor. The "Pour In- Pour Out" principle is an extremely valuable focus I've ever learned in business and in life.
I have a Spiritual mentor who guides me through to a deeper level with God every single year. She is also my Marriage Mentor who has helped me to become the best Mother I possibly could be. I trust her as well to aid me, along with another woman, to mentor me as a Motherhood Mentor. Lastly, I pour into others for these same skillsets, in being a wife, a lover of God, a great mother and a great mentor. Many of my clients are mentors.
The skills that I possess did not just happen by osmosis or observation, but by a deep commitment to my most valuable relationships in life and my biggest goals.
I was courageous enough to step up to be the Champion I was designed to be. The question that presents itself now is, "Are you?"
It would be an honor to be your mentor. If you don't have someone you trust in 100% to help you stay true to yourself and your future, register now for our Launch Call for the 2012 Best Business Coaching Program.
Your future awaits you and the EARTH needs YOU to step up to the plate.
