The School of Greatness - 100 The 3 Biggest Lessons in Finding Powerful Mentors That Will Change Your Life

Episode Date: October 21, 2014

"Mentors are people who have been in my life who I aspire to be." - Lewis Howes For show notes and to learn more about The School of Greatness, visit LewisHowes.com/100 ...

Transcript
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Starting point is 00:00:00 This is episode number 100 and you are entering the solo round. Welcome to the School of Greatness. My name is Lewis Howes, former pro athlete turned lifestyle entrepreneur. And each week we bring you an inspiring person or message to help you discover how to unlock your inner greatness. Thanks for spending some time with me today. Now let the class begin. What is up, everyone?
Starting point is 00:00:35 Thank you guys so much for being here. This is episode 100. Can you believe it? I mean, I started this thing at the end of January 2013, and I had no clue where it was going to go. But you guys dictated and directed it in going this way by all of your amazing feedback, your comments, your constant requests for guests, for topics. So thank you guys so much for being a part of the journey all the way from the first
Starting point is 00:01:06 episode to now episode 100. I'm going to have many more episodes to come. So don't you guys worry. And I'm just so grateful and blessed that you guys are part of this journey with me on the School of Greatness podcast. Super pumped for today's episode because I've been getting requests for two things. One, to do more solo rounds. So I've been listening to you guys, and I'm here. I'm doing it now by myself. I think I've done two or three, and a lot of you said that those were some of your favorite episodes. So I'm answering to one request there, and the second one is a lot of you have asked about mentorship and teaching about how to find a powerful mentor.
Starting point is 00:01:46 So that's what this episode is all about. It's all about how to find a powerful mentor to guide you to achieving what you want to achieve in your life and really to have someone to support you, to look up to, to give you some pointers, some tips on what you're doing right, what you're doing wrong, and to give you some great feedback along your journey. So that's what this is all about. Now, I want to go ahead and dive into this episode. Since it's just me, I don't have to introduce anyone, right?
Starting point is 00:02:18 So it's been a while since I've done this. I think it was like episode 25 or something was the last time I did this. I'll have to link to it in the show notes and check it out. But this is all about how to find a mentor, guys. And I'm not going to be long-winded on this. I want to give you guys a couple of examples of my mentors and some stories about them and also how I approached them and how they really supported me. And then I'm going to give you guys some pointers on how to find a mentor, the best way to develop the relationship with them, what questions to ask them, things like that. But really, there's no really right or wrong answer. It's effective and what's not effective.
Starting point is 00:02:57 So we're going to talk about what is effective, but some things are effective for different people. So really, everything I say is just kind of what's worked for me, what I've seen work for other people. Also, what doesn't work for me when people reach out to me and ask me to mentor them. So I will talk about some of that as well. And then we can have a little dialogue over on the comments section over at lewishouse.com slash 100. So you can ask me a question over there.
Starting point is 00:03:23 You know, you can give your best pointers there. I'd love to see what you guys think as well. And I'm in traveling right now. I'm in New York City for the week for the Pencils of Promise event that's going on. I'm on the advisory board supporting Adam Braun, who has been on the show and supporting their efforts in building schools all around the world for kids in need. So I'm very excited about that. But I've got my travel mic, so it may not sound the same way it sounded in the past just because I've got a little bit of a different mic with me right now. But hopefully the quality is still good for you guys and you enjoy the information either way.
Starting point is 00:03:57 So let's go ahead and talk about mentorship. Now, I am a big fan of having mentors. I'm also a big fan of having coaches and they can be They can be almost the same person and very similar. However, I like to pay my coaches. I like to pay coaches Because I know when i'm invested In a coach i'm going to get results So i'm probably gonna have to do a different episode on coaches and the importance of hiring a coach. But I have a coach on relationships that I hire.
Starting point is 00:04:28 I have a coach on just general life that I hire. I have a business coach that I hire. I have physical trainers that I hire. I've got a doctor who works on me, a doctor who works on me once a week, sometimes twice a week on my body to keep me in tune. Make sure that anything that's out of place is in place. I've got a coach for everything. Anything I want to take on, I bring on a coach. So when I wanted to learn salsa dancing, I brought on a coach. When I want to learn handball, I found a coach. Whatever it is I want to learn, I find a coach. Now mentors are really people that I've been in my life who I aspire to be, who I aspire
Starting point is 00:05:09 to be like, and who have achieved some level of success that I want to achieve. So I want to give you guys a couple examples really quick. When I got done playing football, I was injured playing football back in 2007. I had surgery and I knew that I was done. So I was kind of like coming to the point where I was got over being a little bit depressed and was like in denial because I thought I was going to come back and play football again. But really I was done. So what I had done is I was trying to figure out the best way to transition and what was I going to do next with my life? What was best way to transition. What was I going to do next with my life?
Starting point is 00:05:46 What was I going to do? How was I going to make money? I was living on my sister's couch at the time, so I was just trying to figure out how to get on my own two feet. I had three key mentors at the time. I should put this out there and say I have had lots of mentors. I've had lots of friends who have given me guidance. I have lots of people who I've been following online for years, people's. I've had lots of friends who have given me guidance. I have lots of people who
Starting point is 00:06:05 I've been following online for years, people's books I've read, who I consider mentors, you know, speakers that I've seen at events who I consider mentors. A lot of these relationships are very different. And some of these people I've never talked to. Others I've had one conversation with. Others, multiple conversations. But then there's been a few key mentors that have really kind of guided me for certain periods of time. And there's always, you know, I would say a beginning, a middle, and an end to a mentorship. But it doesn't have to look any specific way. Okay? So I'm going to give you some examples of what I've done.
Starting point is 00:06:41 And then we're going to talk about mentors. what I've done, and then we're going to talk about mentors. So again, when I was transitioning out of football, I had this cast on, okay? I had this cast on. It was a really annoying, itchy cast. If anyone's had a cast, you know how annoying it is. It's smelly. Your hair starts to grow really long inside the cast.
Starting point is 00:07:03 You lose your muscle mass. You get all weird looking inside of your cast, and it's dirty, and it's scratching you. It's an uncomfortable experience. You've already got a broken bone, which is uncomfortable enough, and then you've got to wear this nasty cast. I had to have cut-off sleeve shirts because I couldn't fit my shirts over the cast. It was over my whole arm. It was just a nuisance. And I developed this product that was like a soft cushion that slid over my cast. It was kind of like a big sweat band that I developed that would slide over the entire cast. It had a thumb hole for the cast. It had different colors so you could match it with your outfits for the day. I was trying to create something that was useful for me at the time
Starting point is 00:07:51 because I had to wear this thing for six months and it was annoying. So I was like, there's got to be a better way, right? And as I was developing this, I found a manufacturer in China. I had these products shipped to me. I was wearing it. I'd done all the groundwork, right? But I had no clue what to do next. And I realized like, hey, other people could use this product. I got to find someone who knows how to develop products and who's an inventor, who can take a
Starting point is 00:08:14 product to market, who can license stuff. I don't know how to do any of this. I had done a lot of the legwork and I developed something. I had something tangible and I had something to show for it. And I had a hustle. And what I did next is I was like, I need to find someone who can support me and take it to the next level. Who can I learn from who has already been there, done this, made a lot of mistakes and could accelerate my learning curve and take this to the next level. So I was putting this out there. I was like, I need to find someone who can help me with this. I was telling my girlfriend at the time. I was telling family, friends. I was like I need to find someone who can help me with this I was telling my girlfriend at the time I was telling family friends I was like
Starting point is 00:08:47 Do you know of an inventor or someone who can take this to market or can support me in taking this to market? Because I have no clue. So I think that's key. Number one. It's figuring out like what it is you really want to achieve and Discovering what it is you want and then figuring out what type of person are you looking for? Discovering what it is you want and then figuring out what type of person are you looking for to support you in this acceleration with your learning curve, with your education, with support, whatever this may be. So you're going to discover specifically what type of mentor you want. And for this specific reason, it was to find an inventor, someone who would develop products
Starting point is 00:09:20 and could take it to the next level. If you're just saying, I want a mentor to help me with, you know, just because I'm inspired by them, that's not a good way to find a mentor. Find something specific, someone specific to support you or find someone specific to get some mentorship from. And again, mentorship is going to look different with each person in each experience. And we'll talk about that here in a second. So what I did next is my girlfriend actually, when I was putting this out there and I was like, I need someone specific for this. When I was putting it out there to people, my girlfriend was like, I've got a friend
Starting point is 00:09:57 who's a famous inventor and he just moved back to Columbus like last week. And this was, you know, when I was living in Columbus, Ohio. And I said, call him ASAP. I need to meet him right now. I was like, again, I was like 24, maybe I was 23 or 24, but I was like, call him right now. I want to meet him. And he was busy or something.
Starting point is 00:10:19 So we set up a time like that weekend. You know, I'm a very impatient guy. So I was like, I need to meet him right now as soon as possible. And as soon as possible was meeting him on his terms, not my terms, as a 24-year-old young punk with no experience or expertise. So I want to realize like, hey, it's not going to be when I want it. It's going to be when they are available was a key in the beginning. Then I get a meeting.
Starting point is 00:10:45 So my girlfriend, you know, luckily she's friends with him. So we meet together at like a bar in Columbus. And I show up and I'm like, I've got this backwards hat on. I was like the biggest, it was like the biggest mistake of how to not approach a mentor. I had like a backwards, not even just backwards, a backwards turn to the side, like a backwards sided hat on. I had like this baggy t-shirt on and baggy jeans like below my butt, like hanging below my butt. Like I had just come out of playing professional football in the South. And it was definitely, I think think it was i was like very like egotistical big jock like
Starting point is 00:11:30 just walking around strutting my stuff thinking i was like had it all figured out when i had nothing figured out so i show up with this backwards cap this huge cast on and this big big ego with saggy pants and that was definitely not the way to do it. But what I did do was I showed so much passion and so much willingness to learn. And he basically said, Hey, you know, we just moved back. I basically got zero time for you. I'm meeting with you right now because your friend, we're friends with your girlfriend. And I think it's a cool idea what you've done, but I've got a business I'm running. I've got a wife.
Starting point is 00:12:09 We're moving into a new house. We're setting up our business back here. Call me in a couple weeks, and we'll get together for 30 minutes and have some questions prepared for me. So this was basically the beginning of my relationship with my friend Chris Hawker, who's now a good friend of mine.
Starting point is 00:12:26 And, you know, we support each other on a lot of stuff back and forth. And what happened was I was so persistent with him. I'll cut the story a little short. I was so persistent with Chris. And, you know, a couple weeks later, I called him when he said to call him. I had questions ready for him. I recorded the questions, the answers that he gave me. I said, I would love to come back and ask you some more questions.
Starting point is 00:12:52 He said, you know, come back in a couple weeks. I don't have time right now. I came back in a couple weeks when he said to call him. I was, you know, whenever he said to do something, I did it. And I took the action. And I hustled like he'd never seen anyone hustle before. And I think today he may even say today I'm his greatest invention. You know, he's invented probably like 100 products and 50 of them are in the market.
Starting point is 00:13:14 But I think I've heard him say that I'm his greatest invention because he was able to mentor me to really develop me over a couple of years. And the relationship shifted and has changed and evolved and now we're great friends and we support each other with different business advice and things like that. But he was really there for me where it got to the point where instead of me just interviewing him and asking him questions every now and then, I said, listen, I want to work for you for free and for six months.
Starting point is 00:13:44 And he said, okay. I basically convinced him enough that, hey, I'm a hustler you for free and for six months. And he said, okay. I basically convinced him enough that, hey, I'm a hustler. I'm going to do what it takes. I'm going to make things happen. And I'm going to add a lot of value to you and your business. And what would happen was he was like, okay, I'm going to pay you $500 a month. And you're going to come into the office. I think it was like four days a week for like five hours a day. And he was like, I'm going to have you do whatever I want you to do.
Starting point is 00:14:08 And I was like, perfect. You know, uh, you know, 500 bucks was a bonus for me to make that a month. And I was basically started working almost full time with him. He had me in a closet in the kitchen of his, his, uh, you know, they rented out a house where they had their business. So it was like a separate house from their house. But there was a kitchen in this, you know, office space. And I had the closet. It was literally enough for me to fit a little two foot by two foot desk in the closet. It fit perfectly.
Starting point is 00:14:40 I had a little shelf above me. And I literally had, you you know my face against the wall In the closet of the kitchen as people walked in and out Constantly getting food or getting water and I was on the phones when they were doing PR campaigns. I was calling media Magazines newspapers we had lists and I was just called him one by one About the products he was developing trying to get them into the Christmas guides, trying to get more sales, whatever it may be, the publicity, whatever it was at the time, I was just doing it.
Starting point is 00:15:12 I would go to trade shows with him and work the floor, networking, talking about the products, selling the product, trying to get sales for the products. I was doing everything. I was working on licensing products. I was doing everything. I was working on licensing products. So I was calling bigger companies to try to set up meetings for him to license products. I was coming up with naming, with branding ideas, you know, as I was developing my product as well, this cast cover. And it was really a crash course for me early on with a mentor where I basically got paid, you know 500
Starting point is 00:15:45 bucks a month to work almost full-time but then once a week what he would do which was really valuable for me is he would we would go on a walk in the park and we will walk in the park for about an hour it would be like a lunch meeting you know every Friday or something and he would kind of just brain dump everything that happened that week. In some sense, I think it was very therapeutic for him to share his ideas and to get his ideas out there to someone that was very receptive to receiving them. I was very receptive. And then I would just ask him questions and ask him questions, listen, listen, listen, and ask questions. And that was,
Starting point is 00:16:21 and listen and ask questions. And that was, you know, some of the most fun times was not knowing anything and having this, you know, canvas to learn from and to create from constantly. The six months led to like a year and a half, I think. You know, it definitely evolved over time. He was like, okay, we're past six months now, but you know, this has been fun. So let's keep doing it or whatever. So it didn, we're past six months now, but you know, this has been fun. So let's
Starting point is 00:16:45 keep doing it or whatever. So it didn't like end at six months. It kept going. And then, uh, I started to work on my own projects, you know, it was like a year now. And I started writing a book about LinkedIn. I was doing some consulting on the side, teaching people about LinkedIn and how to grow their business. Cause I was still trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life and how to make money. Cause I was still trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life and how to make money because I was only making 500 bucks a month or something, which basically paid for gas and a couple of meals here and there. So for me, it was a very powerful experience. And as I started to develop my own book and started speaking, I really realized that, okay, this has been an awesome experience, but it kind
Starting point is 00:17:24 of shifted and transitioned. So I think after a year and a year and a half, it just started to evolve where I was in the office less, but I was supporting with other things and it was just evolving. It was not like this set thing that happened and ended like an internship would for a summer college internship. It was an evolution. There was a dialogue. There was conversation.
Starting point is 00:17:45 We were going back and forth. When things weren't working, we would talk about it. When they were, we would talk about that as well. And I think that's the importance is, for me, this was an awesome experience for me to have a mentor like Chris Hawker to support me early on when I had no clue what I was doing. And that's one example of a relationship mentor that I've had. And again, it doesn't have to look a certain way. I think you want to create a win-win for yourself and the mentor you find to make it work for both of you. And when it stops working for one person,
Starting point is 00:18:21 that's when you should have a conversation and it should evolve from there or it should dissolve or turn into something else. So I want to give you another example of a mentor I had. His name is still a great friend. All these mentors are good friends still. His name is Stuart Jenkins. And I would say that his mentorship has evolved over time. I would say he was a mentor for me when I was in high school. I heard him give a speech in high school one time. I think it was like in 1999 or 1998. And this guy gave a speech.
Starting point is 00:18:57 His name was Stuart Jenkins. And he qualified for the Olympics. He was a successful inventor himself. You know, had made millions in different businesses, had raised money. And it was just his way of being, his energy was magnetic for me. And I was just like, man, that's the type of person I aspire to be like. He had character, he had values, he was hardworking, he was inspiring, he was thought provoking and intellectual intellectual and I was just like man this is the type of guy that I would I would like to you know achieve what he's achieved at his age
Starting point is 00:19:30 and so I remember in college hitting him up a few times and he was actually the headmaster the CEO the president or whatever you want to call it of my university university. He became that later. And so he was on campus a lot. And I would go into his office and just say hi from time to time. We had this, you know, athlete bond because he used to be a track runner and a marathon runner. And I was competing in the decathlon at the time. So we kind of had this bond as athletes. So, you know, once every couple of months, I would just try to get
Starting point is 00:20:06 in touch with him and say, hey, I'd love to go on a morning run with you. Because I knew he ran every single day for, you know, a minimum of three miles. So I said, I would love to join you on one of your runs. And he would kick my butt. I mean, I'm not a distance runner at all. I'm a sprinter. So he would kick my butt every time. And I would say, hey, you got to slow down. And we would have to stop because I just couldn't breathe because I was more of a sprinter but you know every few months those were such valuable you know 30 minutes for me to be able to go on a trail run with someone that I really aspired to be like and really was inspired by and what I got to do was ask a lot of great questions and for for me, that was valuable time,
Starting point is 00:20:45 that was valuable information and it supported me throughout my growth in college. And after college, you know, over the last, however long it's been now, I guess almost 10 years since I graduated college, he's been there for me as a mentor. You know, I call him every, sometimes every couple of months,
Starting point is 00:21:02 sometimes a couple of times a year, but we stay in touch and I'm constantly, you know, looking to him for guidance because again, he's been there, done that in a lot of areas of his life. And, uh, he, he continues to be someone who has a high sense of character in his life. And so I aspire to be like that. And I, and I get to, you know, our relationship has evolved since then. You know, we've become friends now. And I gave him feedback and advice on certain things that I know about. And he continues to support me in areas of my life that he knows
Starting point is 00:21:35 much more about than I do. So again, another great relationship. And another mentor I had earlier on was a guy named Frank Agin. I was looking to become a better public speaker and I was going to Toastmasters for about a year. And I remember this guy came in and gave a presentation and he wowed me. He literally, I was just like, wow, this guy has got to figure it out. He's a great presenter. He knows how to connect to an audience. He delivers his message and I was inspired to take action on his message. And he talked about how he was a football player. And so I was like, man, this guy, we need to hang out.
Starting point is 00:22:11 So for basically the next year and a half, he was a mentor to me as well. And he had written a number of books. So we wrote a book together about LinkedIn. And he really served me in a lot of areas that I could not have done. I could have not written that first book before I was 25 without his guidance, without his mentorship, without his support during that. Again, that mentorship with him probably lasted for about a year to two years while we were working on the book. And then as I evolved to started doing other projects, you know, we still stay in touch,
Starting point is 00:22:45 but I'm gonna stay in touch with Frank as much as I do some of my other mentors, but he's still a great friend. And, you know, I've learned so many great lessons from him. So the moral is for these three key mentors, again, I've had lots of mentors, I've had, you know, I still develop mentors today. It doesn't look a certain way. And I think I saw or heard Tim Ferriss and Ryan Holiday talk about this on their podcast, on Tim's podcast, where he said, you know, there doesn't need to be an official relationship when it comes to mentors. And Tim, I think,, asking someone to be a formal mentor is the absolute best way to never have a mentor. So when I get, you know, when I get emails from people saying, Hey, will you mentor me? I'd love for you to be my mentor. That's the worst way to go about it. Because,
Starting point is 00:23:36 you know, when you ask someone who you aspire to be like, or who you're inspired by, they're usually pretty busy. And so if you say, hey, will you be my official mentor and give me all this time and here's nothing I can give to you, you're not going to get a response. Or if you do get a response, they're just going to say, no, I don't have the time. So that's the worst way to go about it. There's no formal agreement.
Starting point is 00:24:01 You don't even have to meet your mentor in person. You can have mentorship just over email over, there was probably like a six month period where I was, I guess you could say I was mentoring a guy over email once a month, he would email me three questions, his three most important questions of the month. And I would respond very briefly, you know, one sentence for each question and that worked for both of us. So there is no right or wrong way. That's just what's most effective for both of you and what adds the most value to your mentor. So I think the key is to, if you're reaching out to someone and you want them to mentor you, you don't want to mention to them that you want them to mentor you. You really
Starting point is 00:24:46 want to add value to them. Find a way that you can add value to them before you even reach out to them. If you just email someone or call someone or meet someone in person and just say, I'm so inspired by you. I want to learn from you. Will you teach me everything? It's probably the wrong way to go about it. But if you do your research and you figure out what that person could use support in or what they're looking for, or if you could find some ways to serve them or you work for them, whatever it may be. And again, working for them for free. I've had people say, hey, I would love to move to Los Angeles and work for you for free for a year if you mentor me. For me, that sounds like so much work and more energy than it would be just paying someone
Starting point is 00:25:29 to get 100 times better their results. So that doesn't really work either. Unless you're like, you have the value to bring to someone that you can offer to help them get results at the same time. Okay, so you've really got to add some type of value. And for me, I didn't have, you know, I had hustle was my value for some people. And I had passion and I had a willingness to listen.
Starting point is 00:25:54 And I would ask the right questions and I would listen to them talk about their success. And sometimes people just want to talk about how they've been successful. That's something you can offer people is a way for them to talk about how they've been successful. That's something you can offer people is a way for them to talk about how they've achieved their success because people love to share that.
Starting point is 00:26:10 They love to talk about that. So those are a few things right there. How often should you meet with your mentor? There's no real right or wrong to this. It's a matter of what your mentor can do and how much time they have. Again, you want to be really respectful to your mentor can do and how much time they have. Again, you want to be really respectful to your mentor, the people that are willing to give their time and teach you.
Starting point is 00:26:32 But again, I'm a huge fan of having a mentor. You want to make sure you clearly identify your questions when you're working with your mentor. Be concise. Don't waste their time. Prepare ahead of your call or your meeting so that you're really ready to go. Make sure that they don't feel like you're unprepared. If you're unprepared for a meeting, then they're not going to give you any more of their time.
Starting point is 00:26:57 So really be prepared. Consider their background. Make sure you listen constantly. Here's a big thing also. Be teachable. Be teachable. And a mentor, if you are taking the advice of a mentor and you're asking their time and you're taking their advice and then you don't take action, that's also the quickest way to have a mentor not want to work with you anymore. The most rewarding thing for me is when I teach someone what to do. If
Starting point is 00:27:27 they have a big challenge or a big question and they want to solve something, and then I am able to share with them some of my thoughts or wisdom on what's worked for me. And I say, okay, here's what I want you to do. I want you to go take action on this right now. This is what you want. So you've got to do this. The best thing is when the mentee goes and actually does it and gets the results. That's the most rewarding thing because you get to share your wisdom with someone and then they take action and they get results based on what you said. That's so rewarding. If you don't take action, all you do is take, take, take information
Starting point is 00:28:01 and you're too scared to take action, then that's a big waste of their time. So make sure you are like a mutant athlete when it comes to finding a mentor, that you're so coachable and so teachable that whatever they say, you're willing to then go research and do 10 hours of research online or find other experts to teach you this information and then apply it in your own business life, whatever it may be. Again, you want to add lots and lots of value. This is not an internship or something like that where you're just running around and doing little tasks. You want to add as much value as you can. Be responsible. Constantly express your gratitude for your mentor's time and advice
Starting point is 00:28:47 because they're giving it to you without you paying them. So constantly express your gratitude for their time, that you know how valuable their time is. Use your platform to promote them and really add as much value as possible. I cannot emphasize this enough.
Starting point is 00:29:05 The more value you add, the more that mentor is gonna wanna be, keep you around and want you to be a part of their life, their business or whatever it may be. And you're gonna be able to develop a different relationship with them. So again, for me, all of my mentors in the beginning are now great friends and the relationship has shifted
Starting point is 00:29:23 and we support each other in different ways. And I think that's the way it should be with a mentee mentor relationship. It shouldn't just be like, okay, teach me everything for a few months and then I'm off and I'm going to, you know, do better than you now and never talk to you again or something. It's really about creating a win-win mutually beneficial relationship. And another point that I would make about this is to pay it forward. So, you know, I'll never forget the times that I would meet with Frank or Chris or Stuart Jenkins, and I was broke, sleeping on my sister's couch, or just didn't have a lot of money. And they would always buy me lunch. My mentors would buy me lunch. And, uh, you know, I think it's cause they knew I didn't have any money. And I remember when I first met, met Frank Agin at this Toastmasters meeting, heard him speak. And I like ran after him
Starting point is 00:30:21 after this event, like outside. And I had, you know, in one hand a cast on, so I couldn't really do anything with that hand. In the other hand, there was like some food in the back of this event. So I took like all this bread and like croissants or something and crackers and cheese. And I literally wrapped it in a napkin, like all this food and had it like in my hand as I was going to introduce myself to him. And, you know, I later told him, I was like, he was like, why did you have all that food taking out with you? And I was like,
Starting point is 00:30:54 honestly, you know, I'm embarrassed, but I don't have any money to go buy food. So I was like getting food wherever I could. So he said, let me take you out to lunch. And every time we met, he would pay for lunch. It would be a burger or something. But it was so meaningful for me at the time that I really valued those meetings. One, because I was getting some great advice from someone. But two, because I was getting a meal that I wasn't sure where I was going to get next. So for me, I've always been in the mindset of paying it forward.
Starting point is 00:31:24 I know where I came from and I'm extremely grateful for the wisdom and the support and the coaching and the mentorship from my mentors. And so I try to give it back as much as I can and pay it forward as often as I can in various different ways. And it looks at different ways. So that is some of my advice on how to find a powerful mentor, how to develop a relationship with your mentor, how to add value to your mentor, be teachable, pay it forward,
Starting point is 00:31:58 listen to your mentor, be considerate of their time and their energy, clarify your questions. Be prepared. You know, all these things will be supportive for you in developing a powerful relationship as a mentor. And be clear on what it is you want to achieve, why you want to have this specific mentor, or what the goal is for you.
Starting point is 00:32:18 Don't just find someone to find someone you're inspired by, but find someone for a specific reason, okay? And then don't ask them to be a formal mentor for you because that's the best way to never have a mentor is what Tim Ferris said. I've got lots of other stories and examples from, you know, amazing mentors in my life. And again, I'm constantly developing relationships that I learned from other people constantly as I feel like the only way to get better is to continue to grow and continue to learn.
Starting point is 00:32:49 And it never stops. So the learning never stops for me because I want to continue to grow as a human being, as a business entrepreneur, as an athlete, as an individual in a loving relationship, all these different things. And I want to learn how to become a better mentor, a better coach to others
Starting point is 00:33:06 and to be able to serve on a bigger level. So hopefully this has been a valuable episode for you guys on mentorship and the power of finding a mentor. If you have questions, go head over to lewishouse.com slash 100. lewishouse.com slash 100 for all the show notes. I'll put some links up here. If I find some videos or pictures of my mentors,
Starting point is 00:33:31 I will throw them up there as well. But I think it's very important to have mentors. And again, it doesn't have to look a certain way, but it's important to have people to support you, people that you can ask questions with. And again, I get asked lots of questions. I get lots of emails from people. So the best way to ask me questions is over on Twitter or Facebook or something like that on my fan page, Facebook slash Lewis Howes, just because it's easier to
Starting point is 00:33:56 answer questions there. When I get so many emails, it's hard to respond to all of them. So if you do email me, make sure it's very clear and specific over at lewishouse.com on the contact page. I make requests on how you can message me, and I get back to people who honor those requests. So I would love it if you guys would actually send this to one friend, one friend of yours who is looking to grow in their life, in their business, in their relationships, whatever it may be. A friend who you think could use a mentor or who is looking for a mentor. Go ahead and email it to them and let them know. Send them this link, lewishouse.com slash 100.
Starting point is 00:34:41 Would love to see this specific episode spread. Again, a lot of people have been requesting this, so I would love to see this specific episode spread. Again, a lot of people have been requesting this, so I would love to see this get out there. Again, please share it to your friends over on Facebook, on Twitter, on Instagram. Post a picture over on Instagram. I'm loving that platform right now. So post a picture of where you are listening to this specific episode and put a picture of yourself,
Starting point is 00:35:05 put a picture of the episode show art with your phone, holding it up so I can see where you're at in the world. I appreciate you guys so much. This has been a powerful journey so far, and it's only going to get bigger and better and more helpful for all of you is my goal. So thank you again, guys, for making this an awesome experience to hitting episode 100.
Starting point is 00:35:32 It's still a big shock to me that we've gone this far, but I'm committed to getting to another 100 here in the next year. So thank you guys so much. Hope you enjoyed this episode. You guys know what time it is it's time to go out there and do something great Outro Music

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