Learn From The Best
Learning from others is so important. No matter what your interests are, there are wonderful people out there who have valuable knowledge to share.
Mentors are really important.
Mentors are normally people who we connect with, to guide us along a particular path. Be it a friend who’s an expert in a particular field, an inspiring work colleague or manager, a business coach, someone you admire and connect with over LinkedIn.
There are many different types of mentors, and places you can find them.
I’ve realised though, that beyond these, there is another kind of mentor:
The Virtual Mentor.
These are those inspiring and successful big guys – The ones who’ve succeeded in their particular field, a field you may be in to – The ones you follow in one or many ways, checking out what they’re doing and getting inspired.
Virtually connected, you only know them through their weekly newsletters, videos, books, social media accounts and so on. But still, they teach you a lot, and inspire you in many different ways.
Having recently moved to Italy 5 months ago, I have been going through a lot of change in all areas of my life. Being in a completely new environment, with no family or friends or familiarity nearby, I’ve felt like a fish out of water.
And over these last 5 months, these Virtual Mentors have played a really big part in my life. Bigger than normal.
I’ve followed some of them for years, and connected with others only in the last month or so. Some are bigger than others, but regardless of that, they all inspire me in some way.
And I have a lot of them, for different areas of my life.
But for now, here are my current Top 5
I hope they include a couple you can add to your list.
– 1 –
Robin Sharma
I’ve been getting inspired by this awesome guy for years now.
Some of the channels he has inspired me through:
The Greatness Guide (awesome book)
Productivity Unleashed (online learning program)
Mastery Sessions (video series)
His weekly emails.
Robin Sharma is such an inspiration.
I remember feeling so down one evening, feeling disconnected, like I needed a change. In that moment I got out my email and read one of his newsletters, leading me to watch his video ‘The Morning Routine of Legendary People‘. The next morning, I forced myself to get up at 5am, and followed his outline in the video. This set the tone for my day, filling it with positivity and motivation.
There have been so many times I’ve gone to watch one of his Mastery Videos or opened up his Greatness book, and it’s help me transform a thought, taught me something, or simply given me the inspiration to keep at it.
One Big Lesson I’ve learnt from Robin Sharma:
If you really want something: If you commit to it and work hard at it with your vision in mind, you can do just about anything.
He was a lawyer before becoming who he is today, and it’s this commitment that has helped him achieve his success.
– 2 –
Richard Branson:
Richard Branson is admired by so many people, and I’m most certainly one of them.
However, I used to just admire him for his incredible business successes, and the fun coolness of his brands.
After reading his autobiography – Losing My Virginity – there were many other reasons I felt inspired by him. It’s such a wonderful book, taking you on his journey, the highs and lows, the wild ride of a very passionate and down-to-earth human being.
It made me see him as a human being, which was the biggest aha moment for me. Sometimes we put these people on pedestals and forget that they are human beings like all of us.
Seeing them as simply humans is motivating. You feel like ‘oh, ok, maybe I can also do something great‘.
You realise that it’s often there mindsets (amongst other things) that drive them down their wonderful paths. It’s all in the mind is a cliché for a reason.
I found that, through Sir Richard’s journey, he almost always had an unbreakable Positive and Think Big Mindset. He would want to do things, sometimes seen as crazy by others, but even with resistance or giant obstacles, he would stay strong and go for it.
I think that this kind of success is a combination of:
Having a vision and believing in it and yourself
Seeing the world with optimistic and enthusiastic eyes
And being brave enough to go for it.
There is also another one of his books I love: Screw it, Let’s do it – Lessons in Life
This is a much thinner book, a ‘quick read’ as they call it. It’s broken down into 9 chapters:
Just Do It!
Have Fun!
Be Bold
Challenge Yourself
Stand on Your Own Feet
Live The Moment
Value Family and Friends
Have Respect
Do Some Good
All these chapters hold so much value, and after reading each one (more than a few times) I feel inspired to go for it and go great things.
One big lesson I’ve learnt from Richard Branson:
If want to be truly successful: You have got to love what you are doing – It makes it fun and exciting, and it gives you the stamina to keep going when things get tough.
– 3 –
Leo Babauta – Zen Habits
There are some people out there who we just simply connect with. Everything they write feels so perfect for you, it comes at the best times, and adds value to all the right areas of your life.
These are the best kind of Virtual Mentors to find.
They are there when you need them, with all the best info.
That’s how I feel about Leo Babauta and his blog, Zen Habits.
“Zen Habits is about finding simplicity and mindfulness in the daily chaos of our lives. It’s about clearing the clutter so we can focus on what’s important, create something amazing, find happiness.”
Besides being a big fan of simplicity, I find that when I see his regular email in my inbox, the subject line usually feels just right. And time and time again, when his posts arrive, I feel comforted, as they’re almost always on topics I’m truly interested in.
An Overlooked Factor in Creating Positive Change
A Guide to Overcoming Procrastination & Finding Focus
Removing Ourselves From the Center of Everything
The Love of a Long Walk
The Minimalist Way to Declutter
Training to Be a Good Writer
To Create a Habit, Tell a Good Story
This Moment is Enough
The Face Everything Technique
The Get Fit For Summer Exercise Challenge
And so it goes…
And beyond the subject lines and topics, I enjoy his writing style – I read the first paragraph, and can’t put it down. I get excited when I get a new post in my Inbox – what can I learn today?
Above: Great Focus e-book on Simplicity in the Age of Distractions.
Such an inspiration.
One big lesson I’ve learnt from Leo Babauta:
I’m constantly reminded about the Power of Habits: To truly change our lives for the better, we need to simply start changing our habits. You really can change your whole life, one habit at a time.
Mariah Coz
This is someone I recently discovered.
On Twitter, and then leading me to her website and blog Femtrepreneur.
From there, I discovered her awesome (and free) Blogging email course.
I’d lost a bit of steam on my blog. Partly because I’d been working so hard at my day job, and amongst other things was feeling pretty burnt out. I’d also come to that point in my blog where I was questioning it’s content, focus and future.
This is normal.
A lot of bloggers start blogs with one idea in mind. And as they keep writing and developing, that idea usually changes. When I started this blog, it was focused on my experience moving to Italy from South Africa – Now that I am getting settled, my focus is changing.
Long story short, Miss Mariah Coz had come at the perfect time. And besides her impeccable timing, she shares quality content and writes really well with her own unique tone of voice. A slum dunk in my books!
Her line: ‘Everything you think you know about making money blogging? It’s a LIE.‘ got me hook, line, and sinker.
I’d been looking into how to professionalise my blog, make it more focussed, have more of an impact, and be something I could potentially use for more than just a sideline hobby.
I started her Email Course, and am loving it. If you’re at a similar stage in your blogging, give it a go. It’s simply 7 days, and jam-packed with useful knowledge. Learn from someone who has been there, done that, and has the T-shirt.
Her way of speaking writing is so refreshing – It feels like she is talking to you in person. This is so important, as it makes you stand out.
So find those people who you resonate with, and learn from them. When I get her Email Course and read stuff like the below, I have a smile on my face and I’m enjoying it!
One big lesson I’ve learnt from Mariah Coz:
Ah! So much! Other than to stop screwing around with my blog, and to make it the best it can be… It’s to find my own Voice to stand out.
Betty Rocker
This is someone I also recently discovered.
This time, I Google and YouTube searched 30 Day Fitness Challenge.
I was frustrated at the inconsistency of my exercising, and wanted to do a challenge to try and make it part of my everyday.
And so, I discovered The Betty Rocker 🙂
I’m currently on Day 7 and loving it!
There are lots of different challenges and fitness programs out there, so I’m sure that I’ll give a couple others a try after this. However, the thing that’s gotten me to stick around with Betty and do her challenge, apart from 15min a day being perfect for me, is the simple reason that she is fun.
I’m enjoying her energy and positivity. She bounces around the place and has her own unique kind of awesome. It doesn’t feel so serious, and yet, she still pushes you very hard.
She she is currently my fitness Virtual Mentor.
One big lesson I’ve learnt from Betty Rocker:
It’s not about doing long 1 hour exercise sessions – It’s about making exercise part of your everyday, and that 15min a day can make you sweat!
There are so many other Virtual Mentors in my life, but these have been the 5 Top of Mind. I have some for Motivation, some for Health & Fitness, some for Content Marketing, some for Business.
There are all sorts of wonderful people out there, with so much valuable knowledge to share.
I’d love to hear who some of your Virtual Mentors are?
Who inspires you to keep motivated?
xx Ciao for now xx
