Find A Mentor

Photo by Chris Hunkeler

A few days ago I was watching The Karate Kid (2010) on TV. This movie was starring Jackie Chan and Jaden Smith and it was a remake of the 1984 The Karate Kid. Anyway I was watching the scene where Mr. Han (Jackie Chan) was telling Dre Parker (Jaden Smith) the importance of the taking off the jacket and putting on the jacket exercise. I find that scene interesting because it shows the importance of having a mentor. 

Dre Parker was feeling already feeling impatient and frustrated about doing nothing but to put on and put off the jacket. He didn't understand why he was doing it in the first place and felt that what they are doing is useless. But when Mr. Han showed him how that exercise can help in his training he realized that what they are doing is an important part of his training to learn Kung Fu. Without Mr. Han to explain and show him the importance of it, Dre Parker wouldn't be able to understand what he is doing.

Heck without Mr. Han, Dre Parker probably wouldn't know where to begin to learn Kung Fu.

Friends, another element that successful people have that helped them become successful is the presence of a mentor who can give you feedback. Mentor's are basically people who have already achieved what you want to achieve and are willing to teach and guide you to be the same as them, or to even be better than them.

A mentor will make the learning process easier for you because they'll be able to tell you what to do and what not to do. They will also be able to tell you if you've already progressed or not, thus letting you know if what you're doing is right or wrong. In the movie, Mr. Han was Dre Parker's mentor in Kung Fu. He was teaching Dre Parker what he learned about Kung Fu and how best to apply them. 

A mentor is not the same as a teacher who teaches a class. A mentor is someone who will allot a time to guide and teach you one-on-one. Dre Parker was able to win the Kung Fu tournament and defeat the other kids who started training Kung Fu earlier because of Mr. Han's personal guidance. The personal attention helped Dre Parker to learn and develop his skills at a rapid pace.

So if you want to quickly reach your goal, then find a mentor who has already achieved what you want to achieve and ask them if they can be a mentor to you. Then learn eagerly what they have to teach you and apply it to what you do. If you do this, you'll be able to reach your goals much faster.