The Power of Mentors
You must develop yourself to be successful. You need to master yourself first, then master your job. Your future is dependent on your personal growth. So, what is one of the ways we can master ourselves? Something that has helped my life tremendously in all aspects is having mentors. Whether I know my mentors personally or not, it is something that is extremely important to me.
We are lucky enough to live in an age where we have unlimited access to Google, books, and mentors at our disposal! Take advantage of this! We have FREE internet where we can gain knowledge through watching a video through a screen or listening to a podcast on headphones.
Your mentors and advisors should nurture your future success just as your friends, peers, and colleagues do too.
Start finding people who do what you want to do with excellence. Then do what you must learn from them.
My Personal Mentors:
Meagan Hester; An established TV and celebrity beauty & special FX makeup artist who really helped me step foot into my makeup career. Meagan came in to teach a class at a cosmetology school I was attending at the time. I was fascinated by her success at a young age, her talents and ambition. Shortly after, I reached out to her through email, social media (Pre-Instagram Days), and phone. I decided I would call her for a final 10th time (started to feel stalker-ish by this point) and give up. She finally answered me and said she was looking for an assistant to train and help her onset. The next day she had me drive (my dad drove me) down to a set in a not so great area of Queens, to a broken down hotel to work a 10 hour day for $40. I was so excited, I would have done it for free. After being so persistent, loyal and committed, Meagan started to send me to more jobs and asked me to assist her more. Through that, doors started to open. She had other professional makeup artists calling me to assist them. In time, my own techniques started to shine through, and the jobs eventually came rolling in. I’ve always stayed dedicated and true to my first mentor in the makeup biz and 10 years later I’m happy to call Meagan a close friend of mine.
Kiriaki Perteses; I met Kiki years ago while working in a salon. She had come in for a hair trial and I had happened to stay late that night. We instantly hit it off. I was inspired by her music that she had played for me, her own spa which offers a range of services, and her kindness. The closer I became to Kiki, I admired her ability to heal the mind, body, and soul along with a number of other amazing qualities. I met Kiki during a time of feeling lost. I was in the wrong romantic relationship, had a group of friends that weren’t fitting for me and was lacking any sense of spirituality. Kiki opened me up to a world that I am forever grateful for. Late nights and early mornings of manifesting, meditating, and mantras along with deep conversations about the universe, experiences, travels, and lessons, Kiki has helped me reconnect to my awareness, consciousness, and intuition.
Miltiadis Kastanis; As I mentioned in an earlier blog post, I met Milti through my mother. He was her wedding coordinator. She thought Milti would be the perfect “ideal candidate” to marry her daughter. She was partly right. Milti started introducing me to everyone he knew. We started to network together like you’ve never seen. We truly are a power team. He invites me to every networking party, every event, every gala and I watch him promote, connect, and make shit happen. Milti has already accomplished what I’m working on now. Milti, whose self-made, has the investments, has the real estate, has the financial advisors, has the network, mentors, trials and errors, ins and outs, and the knowledge that he is always graciously sharing with me. He wants nothing more than to watch me grow into a success so we can yacht together in Europe on the regular. When I have any issues or concerns regarding my business, investments, relationships, he is the person I call. He is blunt, borderline rude, gets to the point and really knows his stuff. He has worked from the bottom up, starting in diners, to managing, owning restaurants, owning a concierge business, buying and investing properties on the East Coast and now becoming one of the top real estate agents in Miami. You want to find people that have worked from the bottom up and came out a success. Milti is the perfect example of just that. He has built a firm foundation and is continuing to build more and more every day.
As you may notice, my personal mentors are also some of my closest friends. Be picky about who you spend your time with. Learn to seek out people who inspire you to do better, create more, play bigger, and win more often.
Surround yourself with people who inspire you to be a better person. These people should call you to your greatness and make you feel good.
Surround yourself with people who have done this before.
I have a lot of mentors that I do not know personally. I mostly use the internet to access and connect to these people. I listen to podcasts, I watch YouTube videos, I’m subscribed to their mailing lists, I listen, I read, I take notes, and put into action.
I take 30% of my income and invest it into my brain. Instead of buying those nice shoes or purse that will probably sit in my closet until next year and I’ll forget about, I will spend that money on books, courses, consultants, traveling, and conferences.
Mentors should: Add value Help you to become more than you are Focus on strengths Give advice Set gameplans Give feedback Encourage you
My Mentors Include: Tony Robbins Lisa Nichols Lewis Howes John Assaraf Gabby Bernstein
If you're not familiar with any of these people, I suggest checking them out and listening to their podcasts, downloading their apps, buying their books and/or attend a conference. If they are not the right fit for you, then guess what! Start doing some research. Find people to help you grow in ALL aspects of your life. You have many buckets to fill such as love, relationships, career, personal, spiritual, and financial. Get inspired and become committed. If you’re committed- you attract others who are committed.
Remember ladies and gents, "Birds of a feather flock together."
Build a community of like-minded people who can help one another succeed.
You want to be around peers whom you can share your knowledge with, but who should also be sharing knowledge with you.
Don’t surround yourself with small minded people who are inclined to gossip and drama.
I am very grateful that I have a solid group of friends who I admire and love dearly! Unfortunately, I don’t have the time to list them all but here is are a few #GIRLBOSSES to check out.
Sarah Marandi-Steeves; Clinical Social Worker & Owner of a private practice therapy business smsteeves.com
Annaliese Petrone; Owner of Annaliese & Co. & Hair Color Specialist http://annalieseandcompany.com
Kate Crocco; Mindset and Confidence Coach www.katecrocco.com
Kiriaki Perteses; Owner of The Little Owl Spa & Skin Care Specialist http://www.thelittleowlspa.com
Stephanie DeSantis; Eyebrow Specialist & Owner of SDS Brows https://squareup.com/store/StephanieDeSantisBrows
Chelsea Blush Pearson; Virtual Home Fitness Coach, Entrepreneur & Owner of Fit Girls Next Door http://www.fitgirlsnextdoor.com
Alexandria’s Tips on Finding Your Perfect Mentor:
Get committed. Pay people for their time if necessary Be consistent. Meet every month. Learn. Be creative. Read their books if you can’t meet them. Be purposeful. Spend time prepping. Be reflective. Spend time reflecting. Be grateful. Let them know.
& Remember:
Always learn from many people in different places, possess a teachable spirit so you can be a mentor to someone, always ask great questions, and be accountable for what you learn.