Do you know how to choose a mentor or are you stuck getting nowhere?

There is a lot to consider when you are choosing a mentor. Many variabels must be just right for you to get the most out of the mentors program. There are people out there who would argue and say that you should pick the one with the coolest Lamborghini. But trust me, that can be a horrible choice. You see, for a mentor to be able to give you something he needs more than a fast car. You must look beyond the cool cars and fancy houses.

We could simplify the things you need to look for into 5 categories. This way you have something to use as a template when you are choosing a mentor. The categories are as following: Personality, values,  strength and weaknesses, alignment and willingness.

But before you choose anything you need to make something clear. You need to be clear on what kind of mentor you need. Otherwise it will be a total disaster. If you need a mentor for how to launch a podcast then you don’t want to end up with a mentor for how to make ice cream.

How to know what to look for

At this point you need to grab a pen and paper (yes, you heard right – pen and paper) and start doodling down some of your thoughts. You need to be specific, not just random thought about food or that hot girl in class. Think about what you want to achieve, what are your goals. This kind of mind emptying exercise can take time, so don’t rush it.

Story time!

Before I started my first online business I had no idea how to do any of this. I was like – okay online business, I need a computer and some internet to get started. That was it, I knew nothing. What I did was that I had a chat with my mentor about how to start an online business.
He said this – you need to know what you want, how to get there and what people and books that can help you get there. The first thing I did was to go to the nearest book store and pick up some books about lifestyle and business. Second thing I did was to look for people who had done what I wanted to do and been successful doing it. By studying the successes I could replicate it for my own success.

If you read between the lines in the story above, one thing is clear. You need to know what you want and you need to know parts of the way to get there. By now you have probably ended up with a lot of things things on your paper. Start narrowing the thoughts on the paper and sort out everything that is not a specific goal.

When you have done this, you could end up with something like this

• Freedom
• Financially free
• The ability to live my passion
• Travel the world whenever I want.

This is good, here we have 4 specific things to look for when we are looking for a mentor. Now all you need to do is to start doing research on different mentors out there

PS. The list above was what I wrote down when I did this exercise. 

5 categories of how to choose a mentor

#1 – Personality

Personality is very important when it comes to choosing a mentor. You need to find yourself a mentor that you are comfortable around. If you are a extroverted person you should look for a similar mentor. This is because you can understand how an extroverted person thinks. On the other hand if you were an introverted person and choose the extroverted mentor, it could be a horror show. That is because you do not think alike. But this is a personal preference, maybe you like to have someone that thinks completely different from you. Just seek out a mentor that fits your personality.

PS. This could be the thing that makes you choose one over the other even if they offer the same thing.

#2 – Values

Do you know how to choose a mentor based on her values? This is a very good thing to know. Since you know who you are and what your values are, you need to look for a mentor that matches that. This has to do with the quality of you future relationship. It’s easier to work with someone if you have the same values. And if things are easy you can focus on productivity instead of arguing.

Take this for example: if you believe that saving the rainforest is important. You would never date someone that runs chainsaw tree chopping events in that same forest. It would just be too much work. You should never have to compromise your values for a mentor or any relationship for that matter.

#3 – Strengths and weaknesses

When you are looking for strengths and weaknesses, you need to first know you own. When you know what you are good/bad at you can look for two things. A mentor that strengthen what you are already good at or helps you with the things you are bad at. Most of the time it’s good to have someone that can help you with the things you are bad at. But there are cases that having someone that helps you with what you are already good at can come in handy. For instance you could be a very good marketer wanting to step up his game even more. However, having someone to help you with your bad sides can be a good beginners choice.

#4 – Alignment

One very important thing is to check if you and your future mentor are aligned. What does this actually mean? Take a look at you favorite mentors life and values before you make a decision. Compare what you see to your own outlook on life and your own values. Are they similar or completely different.

The odds of finding someone that matches you 101% is unfortunately small. But finding someone that is a 70% match is doable. You also need to consider that you will change as a person when you are doing life improving things. A change of lifestyle or the start of a business can change your look upon the world completely. The core however will still stay somewhat stable. That’s why you should be looking for similarities in trust, spirituality, boldness, kindness and the ability to learn.

#5 – Willingness

The fifth and final point on the how to choose a mentor list is willingness. Does your desired mentor actually want to help you? You need to find out if your future mentor wants to share his/hers success with you. What you need to do before choosing her is to get to know her a bit better. Send an email, call or have a juice with the person. Talk about your own goals and show her that you are inspired to start a cooperation. What you also should ask about is their own success story, does the person openly share his success story with you. A bad sign would be if when you ask about their success and that they actively are trying to avoid answering. 

In essence you need to get a feel for the person. No i do not mean that you should french you future mentor. You should get a feel for their personality. How does this person make you feel, is it someone you would like to have as a mentor. 

A common trap is that many so called “mentors” out there are looking for a fast way to your wallet. They only want to make money off of you and sell you stuff. This is why you need to study the person before, to see if he really want to teach you something or just make some quick money.

PS. Don’t be the person that tries to get every advice, software and trix for free. Remember that this person is also making a living being a mentor. As always, be friendly when talking to a new person

Conclusion

I hope that this list of how to choose a mentor has shined some light on the way to make a decision. As much as I would love to be you lifestyle mentor, I can’t force you. And that is totally okay too, I might not fit what you are looking for when you are using this list.

What I want for you is to be able to find the mentor that fits you like a glove. So you can get the best support and reach your ultimate goals without loosing all of your money.