Whom do you most admire?  What do they have that you don’t? How did they get it? What steps did they take? Can you contact them? (You’d be surprised at how accesible many people are, and how receptive they can be).  What would you ask them if you could?

If you can’t reach them, you can still pattern yourself after them. I have done this my entire career. Have always been a big biography junkie. Love to read how people got where they are.

Learning from other’s success helps you formulate a path and plan to follow. Success does leave clues. Read biographies as if they were the Bible. Highlight passages that inspire you. If they can do it, so can you. These are ordinary people who have done extraordinary things.

One warning: Don’t lose your uniqueness and don’t compare yourself to your heroes. Don’t get down on yourself because you didn’t make it the same month and year they did. Your success is your own, with your own script, timing and ending. You may discover that you don’t want what your mentor achieved after all. That might even be the most valuable lesson you learn from them.

ACTION TIME

Pick mentors. Creat your own team of advisors, your own board of directors that you can turn to for advice, guidance and support.  The first thing you need to do is admit you need help. The second thing you need to do is ask for help.