Yeah, that’s me on the top left, hanging on for dear life as we formed a pyramid on Christie Lake for the first time when I was a teen. My mentor is on the bottom in the middle– Brent Greenwood. Brent is a guy who popped into my life out of the blue, and he taught me a lot about barefooting and pyramids in a very short amount of time. We had only spent two days together, but he taught me something that will stay with me for the rest of my life: visualize yourself doing what you want to do from the start to the finish, practice it, and you can make it happen.
Brent asked me if I wanted to learn how to do a deep-water start for barefooting. I was definitely game! He got out a rope and we practiced on dry land. He told me to go home and practice it in my mind and we would try it the next morning. Brent went first and demonstrated how to hang on to the rope and then get up barefooting. As I watched him on the water, I pictured myself doing every step. It took the third try to make it happen, but there I was, feet first wrapped on the rope and then suddenly, standing on the water zipping along.
As I look back on my life, I realize it has been filled with mentors every step of the way. When we seek out those who know more than us, we can learn from them and in turn, we grow. Every time I have a new goal or a new dream, I seek out folks who have walked the journey before me and I learn from them. I ask questions:
“How did you get to be where you are today?”
“What are some of the challenges you faced on your journey and how can I learn from them?”
“What knowledge do I need to acquire to get where I want to go?”
“What tools do I need to use to achieve my goal?”
As a person who is deaf, the internet has been a wonderful place to find mentors. Blogs, Facebook and Twitter have been the tools that I use the most to get to know people. I find that people generally do love to share their knowledge– you have to build a relationship first. Some of the most amazing people I know who have shared their wisdom with me, I have yet to meet them face-to-face!
So if you’ve got a dream that’s brewing and you’re not sure where you’re going, find a mentor to help guide you. Friends will tell you what to do, mentors will help you figure out what you need to do to accomplish your dream.