Means To An End

Reaching our FULL Potential is obviously a process.  We have to want to "reach" before it can begin to happen.  According to Steve Scott, in his DVD mentoring series, "Master Strategies of Super Achievers", the majority of people just drift through life.  Drifters haven't made a specific decision to develop their FULL Potential.

When we make the decision to take responsibility for our personal development, there are several means to that end.  Our growth happens, not by accident or chance, but on purpose, as we take advantage of the means at our disposal.

One of the most effective means... mentors.  Mentors are people who have achieved some success in the areas of life we are looking to grow.  They have something to teach us from their own personal experience.

We can have several mentors, not necessarily limiting ourselves to just one.  Some are better mentors in the area of family relationships, some better in business, some in physical conditioning, etc.

Our mentors do not have to be people we know personally.  Although that is great when possible, it doesn't always happen.  I can think of at least three mentors I have had who I didn't know personally.  Although I met two of them briefly, all their mentoring came from a distance, without them knowing it!  What I learned from them was absolutely life changing!

How do you acquire a mentor?

1. Determine which area of life you want to focus on improving. (i.e. physical, emotional, financial, business, relational, spiritual, etc.)
2. Look for the person who has some proven success in that area.
3. Approach them, stating your desire to improve, sharing that you respect their success in that area, and ask them if they would be willing to invest some time helping you improve.
4. Be a good listener, a good questioner, accountable, and and willing to act on their advice.
5. If you can't find a person who will deal with you directly, look for someone you can watch from a distance, read their material, listen to their presentations, etc.  Much can be gleaned that way.  As previously stated, that has happened to me more than once.

Some other effective means of personal development...

•  Books, CD's, DVD's, seminars
• Failure and other painful experiences, when viewed from the right perspective and responded to in the right manner.  We obviously wouldn't choose this means on purpose, but, the reality is, bad things do happen in life.  We can't always control that, but we can control our response and learn.
• Close peer relationships.  In addition to acquiring mentors, living life with a few close friends, who have our best interest and are willing to be honest with us, can help us grow.

 This post is not meant to be an exhaustive list of all the means to reach your FULL Potential.  My intent is to get you thinking and to give you a head start on the road of personal growth.