Who Are You Learning From?

You know, I love working with hard driving, self motivated professionals. But one thing I've learned from successful people is that they never got there on their own. The same as with you. Your growth is not a one person process. And I'm going to talk about that on today's Daily Biz graph. Hey there. This is Brent Kelly of bizgris with another daily Biz growl. So on my own personal growth journey, ongoing, never ending journey, right to become better, I can think of countless people who have major contributions to my development and my growth. And most of these people have been people that I've never even met. The first one being a guy named Jim Rohn. And I've mentioned his name before, but in 2003 was the first time that I became aware of Jim's teaching and I heard him say something that has will always have great impact on my life. And he said, for things to change, you have to change. And those words changed my life. And since that time I've read and listened to many other of Jim Rohn's works and I'll always consider him to be one of my first and favorite personal growth mentors. Now, Jim passed away in 2009. I never got the chance to meet him and I wish I would have because I would have thanked him for making such a significant contribution in my own life. And I've had other powerful mentors who have, who have passed away and I've also had great impact in my life. And some of these people include Zig Ziglar, Earl Nightingale, Og Mandino, Napoleon Hill. You've probably heard of some of these names and read their books. There's been many more I haven't mentioned as well. Now today there's thought leaders who are still adding new content and leaving their own legacy. One of those people I was able to meet in my sales and attitude journey. I've always been a big fan of Jeffrey Gittamer and his Little Red book and all of his series. And in 2003 I was able to meet Jeffrey and spend a couple days with him and his team. And then just this past August, I was able to spend three days as a new certified partner with leadership and communication expert John C. Maxwell. So there's always been mentors, both who I've never met and those who are still alive today. And I'm very fortunate to have those people in my life. And this also includes coaches. And I would be remiss if I didn't mention the most powerful mentor in my life, my dad, who you know, raised me and shaped me and just be able to watch someone do the right things day after day. So I say this because I want to get across in today's biz growl this, that your growth, your development, it's not going to happen alone. You can make positive changes on your own. But to get where you truly want to go, you're going to need help of others to guide you on your way. So I asked the question, who are your mentors? Do you have mentors in your life, people you learn from and who help you on your growth journey? Now, if you're looking for help in your own growth journey, I suggest taking some time to find people who do what you want to do with excellence. Whether it's improving your finances, your relationships, your leadership skills, your sales skills, or anything else, whatever it is you want to improve, you need to find people to help guide you down a path of excellence. I mentioned John Maxwell, my favorite books, the 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth. John Maxwell discusses six ways in this book to maximize mentors. The maximize and define mentors and your life. And I want to go through those briefly here on this podcast. Number one says, get committed. Get committed. And I'll just add, you've got to commit to finding the right people to help you on your growth journey. And you may need, you may even need to pay them for their time. If you're really committed to finding mentors, you may need to pay them or at the least buy them a nice cup of coffee or a lunch or a dinner. Right? Number two, be consistent. Be consistent. When you find a mentor, look for ways to find with them, to meet with them at least, you know, if possible, weekly, great. But at a minimum, monthly or quarterly. Number three, be creative. Not everyone's gonna want to meet with you, so you may be, you may need to be creative to find ways to introduce yourself or start with their books or videos or podcasts like this if necessary. Number four, be purposeful. Be purposeful. Purposeful with your time. I currently have mentors in my life and it's important. I don't always do this. I do my best. But spend twice as much time preparing questions for your mentor as you do in meeting with them. So if you have an hour to meet your mentor, take two hours. Figure out what questions you want to ask. Number five, be reflective. Take time to digest the information they shared with you. Don't waste this time you've had together. So when you're done meeting, think about the things you talked about. And six, be grateful. Be grateful These are the people who are helping you grow, so make sure you show your appreciation. I mentioned today I have several mentors that I speak with and they've all been in places in their lives that I have not yet been to. They've been places I haven't been to and they helped me guide me on a path so I can be more effective in my life. So again, whether it's a book, a podcast, a video, a phone call, or in person, find others who can share their knowledge with you and allow them to speak into your life. You will attain the results you're looking for faster with less frustration. Thanks for listening to today's daily Biz Growl Podcast. Again, my name is Brent Kelly of Biz Griz and I hope that I can add value to your life and in your career. So whether it's on this podcast at my blog@brentmkelly.com or any of the programs that I help insurance professionals with, the Insurance Producer Growth and Development Program, the Agency Catalyst, or the Peak Performance Coaching Program, I desire to help you reach your full potential. Thanks for listening. Until next time. As always, I encourage and challenge you to go face your grizzly.