Mentors can be an incredible means of investing in yourself. Mentors are typically experts in their sphere of influence, but, at the very least, they are people more knowledgeable and experienced than you in a particular area.

Having a mentor to consult as a means of helping you think and work through challenges ultimately ensures you stay on the right track towards meeting your outlined goals and expanding your understanding.

Source of Knowledge

Mentors, being individuals who are more advanced in a particular area than you, are also more knowledgeable than you in that given area. Many mentors are highly advanced in their studies in a given area, making them huge assets. This wealth of information can aid you in your quest to grow in your understanding and competence while saving you much of the time and effort of having to deep dive for the information you seek.

Enhanced Communication Skills

Mentors can also help you learn to communicate more effectively within your given field. Having been exposed and participatory in the field for longer than you, they are more aware of the inner workings and terminology. Also, being around someone wiser and more knowledgeable can help you improve your understanding and enhance your ability to communicate and convey information. This in turn, can boost confidence and make you more effective at conveying your points and ideas.

Source of Guidance

Mentors have often walked the path you are on now. Having gone down that path previously, there are mistakes made by your mentor from which you can learn and hopefully avoid in the future.

Additionally, there are successes they likely obtained that have taught them things to do and steps to take to achieve success. All of this can be shared with you and help lead you down a path that helps you better achieve your goals.

Networking Opportunities

Mentors are generally well-established and highly connected individuals in their given fields. This means they know people and have access to opportunities that you likely would be unable to reach on your own.

Simply knowing that by being linked to that mentor you can gain access to a new realm of opportunities which can elevate your personal and professional outcomes.

Professional Advancement

Along with networking and enhanced information are professional advancement opportunities. With the increase in knowledge and skill obtained from working with your mentor, you can find yourself in a better position to apply for and advocate for a better opportunity for yourself.

Additionally, having been exposed to more opportunities through your mentor and her educational or professional network, your chances of landing a more successful opportunity are increased.

Mentors are assets that everyone should seek to have in their lives. We don’t know it all and can benefit from having a wiser and more experienced person guiding us along a similar path. In doing so, we can avoid pitfalls and take a more informed route towards those things we desire to accomplish, bettering our chances of success.

This article originally appeared in the Spring 2021 issue of CHOICES Magazine