‘‘An unexamined life is not worth living.’’ - Socrates
In their book, Iron Sharpens Iron: Building Character in a Mentoring Relationship, Howard & William Hendricks share key secrets on mentoring young people, including college students. One of the fundamental points shared as a prerequisite to finding a mentor is ‘knowing your needs’. Of course, the issue with knowing your needs before finding a mentor is comparable to the age-old conundrum about the chicken and the egg.
The big question is which comes first? Do you need a mentor to help you discover your needs, or you need to discover your needs to help you find a mentor. Although I am not trying to answer this question in this blog, I will elaborate on three (3) of the points discussed by the authors to help anyone trying to discover their needs in order to find a #mentor.
What do you want?
In asking yourself this question, you will be thinking of objectives that will produce outcomes and accomplishments in your life. For example, ‘’what do I want to achieve in the next x years?’’. You can do this by taking inventory of your life, and/or examining your own capabilities. What is lacking, and who may be the right person to help in developing these skills or competencies?
What are the plans to accomplish those objectives?
Even though most people don’t plan to fail, it appears they fail to plan! In planning, ask questions about how you intend to accomplish your goals, who you need to support your goals, what you need to become effective, and when you need to accomplish tasks. As you get a mentor, understand that these plans are not written in stones. They could, and would likely be modified by the help of a mentor. However, get something in place before you approach a mentor.
What price are you willing to pay?
Unfortunately, nothing can be achieved without paying a price for it. In discovering your needs, be ready to pay the corresponding price to achieve it. For example, you may have to commit extra time and money. Sometimes, you have drastically shift your schedules to accommodate your mentor’s schedule. How much prize are you willing to pay? This determines how far you can go.
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At MeetMentors, we assist you in your self-discovery journey. Contact us and let us get you started on your mentoring journey.