You’ve heard the adage “success leaves clues.” If you haven’t already, it makes sense for you to trace the clues of success back to their source–someone you trust and admire––who can guide you to your own success.
I’ve had a lifetime of mentors, starting first with my father, who at 96 continues to be an inspirational leader by example. He’s still charming and gifted with his words of wisdom.
He’s had his share of challenges. Having survived WWII, he lost two brothers, and lived through the Great Depression (the reason why he hates debt so much). Yet, he strives to leave a greater legacy, by starting causes that are still going strong.
He lives his life with a sense of purpose for giving back. He’s a monstrous model of a mentor. Being that he is also my roommate, I am blessed by the modeling he lives and breathes each and every day.
I’ve had personal development mentors as well, beginning with Earl Nightingale. I appreciate his wisdom and belief that lifelong learning is essential if I am to maximize my own potential. He coined such phrases as, “We become what we think about,” and “success is the progressive realization of a worthy goal.”
Having also trained with Jack Canfield, I continue to benefit from his guidance through emails and videos––and assisting on his team. One of the most powerful principles he taught is to take 100% responsibility for everything in my life. In fact, it’s the 1st of 67 success principles in his book of the same name.
Then, there is my accountability partner, Cindy, who is also a Canfield protégé. We’ve been accountability partners for five years, and she’s always quick to call me out on anything I say or do that isn’t in alignment with my goals.
I strongly encourage you to find a mentor; someone who can challenge you, but also elevate you.
Be Discerning
Not all mentors should make the cut. I always have my radar up for any inconsistencies in things people say or do over time.
For example, I’ve been seeing a psychologist ever since I got divorced ten years ago. We don’t talk about divorce anymore. Rather, we talk about ways to attain success and avoid failure. He teaches me something new every time I go.
After years of discussing new perspectives on the subject, he’s never once contradicted himself. Everything he says today jibes with what he said ten years ago; he’s never faltered.
If I find someone who sends me mixed messages, either he has to admit it and tell me of his change of perspective, or I’d mentally take it with a grain of salt on whatever else he might opine about.
Me a Mentor?
Yes you. Consider this: at the very heart of mentorship, teachers often teach what they themselves need to learn. So becoming a good mentor to those around you is a worthy goal. As you teach, you grow.
Brendon Burchard, a mentor to many and author of The Charge says, “Something magical happens in a mentorship relationship…there’s this point where maybe you need those you mentor as much as they need you.
“The mentorship casts you as a role model, and engaging in that role model inspires you to call forth the best in you.”
As you strive to improve your performance and derive more meaning from your role as an exceptional property manager, search for and enlist a mentor. Find someone who inspires you to become the person you intend to be––and, in turn, become a mentor for those who follow.
Life’s greatest gift is found in service to others.
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