The Value of Mentoring – Part of Chapter I of the upcoming book Find Your Passion

In the previous article, we talked about the importance of surrounding yourself with “Only Quality People”, your “dream team”. We’ve underlined that you need to start spending most of your time with people who encourage you, challenge you, as well as people who can educate you to have a successful career transition. There are your “Champions”, your “Challengers”, and your “Mentors”. Now let’s learn more about the role of mentors in your career success and fulfillment.

3) Mentors 

Last but not least, you need to build a team of individuals who can educate you. Your “Mentors” are people who’ve already done what you want to do. They are where you want to be and know the ups and downs, the peaks and the valleys of your journey. In this case, they are professionals who have already discovered and made a living at what they are passionate about. Why are they prominent for the discovery and pursuit of your passion? Guess! Because they can share with you some valuable advice they learned from their life experience. This means experience in the real world, not just theories or professional orientation and personality tests. In fact, most of them are obsolete, as they were created during and for the industrialization era; the purpose of work then was to get your paycheck to bring money on the table, and survive. Unfortunately, your parents and grandparents might have passed down to you similar work limiting beliefs. 

So, there’s no better way for you to learn something than doing it yourself. This is experiential learning and it’s much more effective than the traditional model of “hearing-writing”. That’s what I meant before by life experience. No degree can substitute its value. That’s why it would be wise for you to learn from real teachers, people who walk their talk and they have already achieved what you want to achieve. That’s exactly the reason why you should be reading this book. Because I’ve already discovered and made a living from my passion and have also supported other people across the globe to follow their passion. That’s also why every highly successful and fulfilled professional had, has, and will always have their team of mentors. 

Your mentors have so much wisdom that it will save you years of time, energy, and thousands of dollars, if not more. And remember: Time is our most valuable currency. You really don’t have as much time as you think. Time flies fast. So does your life. If you haven’t realized yet how fast years pass by, trust me, you will. So, even if you are a teenager right now, you might be surprised by the time you reach your mid-twenties, thirties, forties, fifties, sixties…

It really comes down to this question: Do you want to try things out on your own with the risk of losing your energy, money, and time, or do you want to make sure that you’ll achieve your goals faster and have more energy, money and time available for your next aspirations?

That’s the value of spending most of your time with mentors. In your case, your mentors will make sure you will discover your passion and turn it into a career with more impact and fulfillment. Their wisdom will guide you, like your torch in the darkness; like your compass in a jungle. Their compassion will accompany you throughout your passion journey. They’ll hold your hand all the way – and it’s a tough one. Last but not least, they will introduce you to anyone who can support you, give you new perspectives for you to get unstuck from your future challenges, and will inspire you to be yourself, and truly believe in you. Needless to say that they both encourage and challenge you, as your “Champions” and “Challengers” do. Your mentors are vivid and great role models to copy; sources of inspiration for you to discover your passion and find a career you truly love. 

So, your “Champions”, your “Challengers”, and your “Mentors” make your dream team! Spending more time with them is compulsory. Why? This brings me to the next important point: 

Disassociate with people who don’t belong and cannot be in your dream team, whether they’re negative or “neutral”. Why? Because you spend time with people who either lift you up or drag you down. Let me say that again: You spend time with people who either lift you up or drag you down. There’s no middle ground here. There’s no “neutral”. Remember that if someone’s support is “neutral”, this is omission; it’s inaction. It’s a lack of encouragement; and lack of encouragement is discouragement. 

“But Jim, what if some of these people are my family or loved ones?”, you might be well wondering. In this case, you don’t have to eliminate the time spent with them, but you definitely need to reduce it. Hey, listen. I feel you. It’s not easy. I’ve been there. I did the same with people I love. Because I wanted to grow more, discover, and make a living out of my passion. Don’t get me wrong here. Spending less time with them does not mean you don’t love them, although it can be easily perceived this way. It does mean though that you create the space and time necessary for you to build your dream team, so you can grow, make a difference, and be truly fulfilled in your work and life.

Why? Because you deserve it. You really do. Because the most important person in your life is you! This is not selfish at all. It’s common sense. You cannot give, love, and take care of others if you are not fulfilled and healthy, physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. First, you take care of yourself. Then, not only will you be able to support your loved ones, but you’ll also do it in a much better, more effective, and more harmonic way. Makes sense? Yes or Yes! 

Passion-work

1. Make a list of the people in your life who are already part of your dream team. Reach out to them and show them how much you appreciate them. It can be in a coffee conversation, a quick call, a voice or text message saying: “Hi, x! I just wanted to tell you how much I appreciate your support so far. It means a lot to me. Thank you. I love you.”. Please do adjust it accordingly to the person you’ll talk to and to the intimacy of your relationship!
2. Challenge: For seven consecutive days, don’t reach out or say no to offers by people who are not in your dream team. Only one exception: People who have the potential to be a member of your dream team. This brings me to the last one:
3. Make a list of the people who can be great members of your dream team. Then, reach out to one person per week, starting from today! Show them how much you appreciate them and how eager you are to learn more about them. Acknowledge their value and ask them for a coffee, in-person, or virtually.  

Feel free to connect with me on social media by visiting my personal site JimPanos360.com, or check out and pre-order (50% off) the “Find Your Passion” book to transform your career and life here.