3 Reasons Why You Don't Have a Mentor

Good morning, and welcome to this week’s newsletter.

I want to chat about the importance of becoming a mentor. Often we're so obsessed with finding a mentor for ourselves we forget that becoming a mentor should be an equally important life pursuit. How often are you seeking out folks in your life who are maybe a few years behind you? Are you willing to provide advice, perspective, and access to opportunity? Becoming a mentor for someone could be life-changing, and ultimately be a blessing in disguise for your own life and career.

I'm going to dive into 3 common barriers I've seen for anyone considering being a mentor:

1. Imposter Syndrome: Let's be honest, for most of us, we're worried we don't have enough "information" or "experience" to help another in their career. Is this you? Maybe you've wrongly believed that "having it all together" is the surest means of being ready to mentor. It's not. Oftentimes, even a year of two ahead of someone in your career is plenty of time to provide value. Don't get hung up on your experience, because you might be the exact person someone else has been looking for – invest in others often, and with sincere intentionality.

2. Time: Here's another one we all seem to tackle. Life is complicated and at time, overwhelming. Relationships, work, children, responsibilities, and the general perplexities of life can make the thought of mentorship a daunting one. Over the last year, I've personally lost more than 70 lbs. and committed to multiple personal training workouts. Despite having a complex schedule, young kids, and countless responsibilities, my wife and I managed to make life altering changes. The point? We have time for what we make time for.

3. Awareness: We live in a society where people hardly notice others. We barely realize others exist unless it has some direct impact on our own life. What's the danger in this? Well, it's so easy to become consumed in our own lives, and ultimately miss opportunities to invest into others. Open your eyes and ears and watch and listen for needs; it's incredible what we learn when we force ourselves to listen for opportunities to give. Don't miss it.

Today is a new day and a new opportunity for you to crush imposter syndrome, stop using time as an excuse, and practice listening. Commit today to pour into another life without fear and excuses. You must be balanced with your time, no doubt. But be generous, be courageous, and you'll find that the opportunities will naturally present themselves.

Good luck out there.

Mark