Favorite mentors are persons who are experienced and trusted. They guide us toward success, enlightenment, and wisdom. Favorite mentors are teachers and guides. They inspire us.

Lives of great men all remind us

We can make our lives sublime,

And, departing, leave behind us

Footprints

on the sand of time;

Footprints, that perhaps another,

Sailing o’er life’s solemn main,

A forlorn and shipwrecked brother,

Seeing, shall take heart again.

Let us then be up and doing,

With a heart for any fate;

Still achieving, still pursuing,

Learn to labor and to wait.

These Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s words from Voices of the Night, written more than one hundred years ago, teach us that we can achieve our goals and be examples to others, leaving behind us footprints on the sand of time. 

How we find, we leave in the same way

Usually, if we live in the same area or places as our parents and other generations lived, we are the same as them. It means that we talk, dress in the same way, and reach the same heights and goals. We follow a pattern that is convenient and suitable for our comfort. Of course, there are some black sheep here and there, but not so much. The average person follows and fits in the same frame, which is an invisible seal in our thinking and habits.

Why does it happen in this way?

We are creatures of habit. It is so convenient and relatively safe to follow the same path that our ancestors did. Of course, the big leap in the technical world achievements of scientists makes our lives easier and more comfortable to take everything easy. But how about expanding our minds, trying to look at things and life from a different perspective? How about learning from people who achieved heights, being the same humans as us? They had and have the same body, ears, eyes, brain, and heart, but they are these who are like engines that push civilization forward.

Mentors are a source of knowledge

These people came in different shapes, colors, and sizes. One thing that united them a hundred years ago and now is a hunger for change. Hunger to see how things and events work and why it happens in this way. They want to explore things, innovate new ways how to reach stars, heal diseases, and help humankind with issues that seem endless. How can we learn to do it? There are so many books and resources left for us from previous generations.  Cicero, Henry David Thoreau, Leonardo da Vinci, Mother Teresa, Khalil Gibran, and so many people who left and left footprints in humankind’s history. They are beacons who are lightening the way to progress and improvement. They can be favorite mentors for us and give gifts through their words and their achievements. Nowadays, we have countless magazines and websites that publish content with the newest discoveries.

How to choose a favorite mentor?

It depends on what you want from your life. It is best to pick an area in which your hobby or idea is. If you want food for your soul, go to the closest library and pick books from the self-improvement section. Reading books from authors such as Earl Nightingale, Wayne W. Dyer, Robin Sharma, or Paul Coelho will give you the strength to choose and keep your path in the right direction. They are mentors who will expand your limits of understanding about human capabilities and the meaning of life. All these guys are cheerful, not boring chaps.

Are you tired of your job?

How about finishing your job? All that you need to know is in Timothy Ferris’s book The 4-Hour Workweek.  At first,  I could not believe how this guy could achieve so much, being relatively young. Here, you will find detailed instructions, step by step, on how to to start a new life without wondering what to do next. His ideas are so infectious. The author is a real proof and encouraging example for everybody who has the feeling that it is enough. Enough to live this type of life, which is boring and does not lead anywhere.

There are so many resources. The most important thing is to know what you want from your life. Take the small steps and build the foundation. Roma was not built in one day. Favorite mentors show the path to success.

Update: I found a great place. There are a bunch of mentors. Would you like to check it out?