Summary: Guide on Finding a Mentor. It is by no means comprehensive but can be helpful for moving in that direction.

I'm an expert at what I do. In my small niche, there might be 1,000 people in the world who are at a similar level or better. I have found maybe 50 I know are definitely better and many people at my level are hard to find.

There are many things crucial to getting great at something. A lot of it is common sense, even if it isn't easy: work hard, stay focused, be relentless, the list could go on.

One thing often overlooked is the value of a mentor. I've served as one to over 50 people in my field, potentially over 100 across a few areas in aggregate

The nice thing about TRP is we all, more or less, exchange information and act as mentors and students of each other. Applying this to the rest of the world is important as well.

History

The Internet didn't exist when I was born, or at least what the modern Internet can be called today. Before this, information was not nearly as accessible and you had to find success through other channels.

One of my all time favorite stories was of John D. Rockefeller and his quest for his first job/mentor. At 16, he walked every day down from the woods and into the town, donning the only suit he owned and carrying a skillset that only consisted of reading and basic bookkeeping. He knocked on every door and requested a meeting with the owner/manager. This carried on for months, as he tried every single day to find someone who would hire him. His father was a traveling snake oil salesman and he was to support the family. Ultimately, he landed a job and the journey began. For his whole life, he celebrated his Job Day more than his birthday.

This type of mentality and societal structure can be found everywhere. Being a blacksmith apprentice, an understudy in theater, an intern, you name it. Warren Buffett found his mentor at by reading his book and later went to study under him at Columbia. This cannot be overstated for how important it is for your development. Just because everything is on the Internet today does not mean that these types of relationships aren't crucial to your development.

You Are More Transparent Than You Think You Are

How easy is it to fake an interest in lifting? You can't. You wear your physique on your sleeves, your attendance record is noted at the gym, and your knowledge of how to lift is going to be very apparent to anyone simply observing you for 5 seconds.

Let's get one thing straight. If someone is good enough to be considered your mentor in anything, they see right through you. They know the difference between hard work and bullshit. They can sense Taker mentalities better than a shark senses blood in the water (I'm referencing Atlas Shrugged here, the Takers). You cannot and will not be able to be clever enough to trick them into accessing their resources without substantial organic effort on your part. I might even go so far as to say con men can't even trick experts in their own fields. You can't con someone into losing a game of chess or performing medically unnecessary surgery that could cost them their license.

I'm perhaps more blunt than average, but I made people incredibly uncomfortable to the point of avoiding me if they tried to get something out of me. I will give and give and give all day long to someone who shares my enthusiasm for something. But try to take it from me? Not a chance. I can promise you the higher you go up the food chain in whatever field you choose, this will become even more polarized. I can be forgiving to beginners, but I also don't have time to teach them 10,000 hours of theory and applied practice.

And don't think we don't notice progress. Even a modicum of effort at the beginning will be rewarded, but zero effort is nothing more than an insult. Have some personal integrity and stop watching TV for an afternoon, pick up a book, and let's talk about it tomorrow.

Benefits

Short-term thinking will lead you to treat a mentor as a way to get resources. To get yourself in front of other people, to be invited to events, etc. You not only need to stop that mentality, you need to turn down the majority of the offers for these invites. There should never be a question why you're in touch with a mentor. It is to learn from them. If they sense Taker mentality then you are going to end up ostracized, and you may not even realize it at first.

If you treat the mentor relationship properly, you will find accelerated growth in what you love as an inevitability. They know the shortcuts, the books you need to read, the people you need to talk to, and the experiences that are formative in your development. You can find all of this on the Internet, for the most part, but it's going to take you a hell of a lot longer. And since we're not talking about weekend task, but a lifelong goal of mastery, this is crucial.

How to Find One

This is not discussed anywhere that I've found, at least not regularly. Sure, mentors are great, but how can you possibly find one? Or the right one?

It helps to know exactly what you want and need. "I like business" is not a very useful realization, but "I'm passionate about starting a food truck" is. You can look up food trucks in the area and call them all up - or better yet - call up the ones you think do it properly. Who has the best food? The hottest women making the food? Best marketing? You get the idea.

Another thing to realize is you won't be able to meet the best in the world. At least not for a long time. Don't call up Bill Gates and ask him whether you should code in Python or Javascript. There are probably 10 people you know personally who can answer that and you also can figure it out easily on the Internet. The mismatch of seeking out a 9/10 or 10/10 expert and asking things about 2/10 and 3/10 difficulty is really a display of laziness.

My sweet spot is to find people who are one level below the top in the world - call it the Chief Investment Officer at Blackrock, for example - and reach out based on a television interview you saw. I guarantee you hundreds if not thousands saw the same interview, but since he isn't Warren Buffett, he's not likely to get much fan mail from the outside world. Internally at their organizations they have people trying to kiss ass to move up within the company. Outsiders have a better chance of getting their attention.

How to Reach Out

Most of this is self explanatory. You should be sufficiently advanced in your field to know what your interests and opinions are about things. And you should be able to back them up.

One example I have is being in touch with a billionaire. I called him out on his work after he made the front page of the WSJ. By that I mean I criticized him and detailed why. I now have his personal email address and communicate with him when I have something to share. We aren't friends, he's not a mentor, but I do get responses. Some of the information I get from those communications provides new insights I wouldn't get elsewhere.

Just a with TRP, be firm in what you stand for and believe in. Don't just praise someone for who they are or what they've accomplished. You can let them know you admire their work, but don't go overboard.

Lessons Learned:

  • Mentors are invaluable

  • Don't bullshit someone you'd want as a mentor

  • People notice progress and the lack thereof, don't make excuses

  • Go for attainable mentors rather than the elite

  • Know what you're after and supplement your own personal growth with help from an expert in your field

  • Rockefeller became Rockefeller for a reason. One of his most formative experiences happened due to an effective mentor