You’ve probably heard the old saying ‘when the student is ready the teacher will appear’.I sometimes wonder if that’s true – or perhaps the teacher was there all the time, but the ‘student’ had blinkers on and didn’t recognize him?
It’s not difficult to get into a routine that, over time, causes harm to ourselves or our finances. Without a teacher we can be oblivious to this very gradual force that is slowly diverting us away from the goals and disciplines that are necessary for success. Take, for example, the guy who eats three big burgers every week and never exercises. If he does that for one week there is no real harm done. If he does it for 10 years then the effect is going to be devastating.
Without a teacher or a mentor he probably won’t realize the harm he is doing until it is way too late. It’s not hard to just accept our current situation as being ‘just the way it is’. That’s one of the great challenges in life – to think outside your current box. To ponder the possibilities and strive to be everything you possibly can.
One of the dignities of being human is that we can make choices in the way we will lead our lives. If you have ever seen the giant sequoia redwood trees in the California forests you would agree that they are majestic. Each and every one of those trees grows as high and as big as they possibly can. They don’t have a choice. We, on the other hand do have a choice. We can be all that we possibly can be or we can be part of what we can be.
A teacher or mentor can help you stay focused on your goals and grow as tall as you can, in life. Ask any of the top business people, sports people and celebrities how they achieved their goals and I’m sure that nearly all of them will give at least some of the credit to a mentor, coach or teacher. Your mentor isn’t shackled by years of bad habits, poor decisions or the accumulated apathy that may have been holding you back from achieving your goals and dreams. They can very quickly identify the areas where you need to lift your game.
Life is about enterprise, achievement, setting big goals and then doing everything you possibly can to achieve them. It’s about leaving a legacy that your children, family and friends will remember. Even if you didn’t manage to achieve every single one of your goals, it would be nice to be remembered as the person who always gave 110% in everything he or she did.
