Would you rather go through life trying to figure out every little challenge completely by yourself? Or have a large team of experts in every category of life that you have hand selected yourself? I would imagine most people would prefer to have a team by their side. At first glance, that seems nearly impossible (and WAY too expensive). What if I told you that you could instantly create your own personal team of mentors comprised of world-famous coaches/mentors/guides as you want – and completely for free?
You can have the best mentors in the world! We just need to reframe what we think of as a mentor and be open to having a team that isn’t accessed physically. Instead, we access our team through our minds, memories, and technology (how lucky are we it’s so easy?).
How to Create Your Own Team of Mentors
Sit down, close your eyes, and imagine the people you look up to most, and invite them to your team. Who says Oprah can’t be your personal life coach? Why can’t Steve Jobs be your business advisor or Yoda be your life path consultant? Think the Dalai Lama can’t be your meditation guide? Think again… You can even invite your higher self to your squad.
Just because we don’t have our role models’ phone numbers (or the fact that some of them aren’t even real people), doesn’t mean they can’t help us every day. The point is, if someone has something important and impactful to say, we can always use this information to better our lives. The best part? There’s no right or wrong way to do this. You can have 50 coaches rooting you on, a small team of childhood fictional characters, or even a team of people in your reality now! Let your imagination run free on this…
After you’ve created your team, you can turn to any of them at any time for guidance. You can look through their works and record quotes that resonate with you. You can even channel them when making decisions. For every situation in life, there’s likely someone you look up to that would handle it with grace.
Pretend you’re getting stuck in the middle of office gossip and you don’t know how to reply to your co-worker’s message about so-and-so. It’s easy to get sucked in, but does it serve our higher good? In these moments, turn to your team. What would Captain America do? Can you imagine him responding back, “Omg! I can’t believe so-and-so did that! So annoying!!”? Nope. He would take the high-road and not even get involved. He would let the drama go and move on. He may even respond to the gossip by saying, “We’re better than this.”
We can always imagine what our mentors would do or advise, and then we can play it out in our reality.
4 Easy Steps to Create Your Most Powerful Team
- Write in a journal 5-10 life categories that you would like to improve or you consistently need guidance in (examples: health, relationships, intellectual, emotional, financial).
- Who is the first person that comes to mind when you think of each categories? Think of people you look up to that are successful in these categories. They could be public figures, authors, athletes, artists, ancestors, even your Mom! There is no limit.
- For each category, choose 1 mentor. Then you can find some quotes that resonate with you. Write down their values and why they excel in this particular category.
- Whenever a situation comes up when you need guidance, turn to your Mentors and channel what you have learned from them.
Visualizing Them As Your Constant Support
This is the best part that will make you feel all warm and fuzzy…
Close your eyes and imagine yourself in a big circle surrounded by your incredible Guides. You’re in the middle and they’re all looking at you, admiring how special you are, and cheering you on. This circle will always be here and you can always turn to your team for advice and support.
My Personal Team of Mentors
I’ve been working on my team for a while now and it was really therapeutic to shine a light on categories that are important to me, and people who embody the highest potential that I’d like to strive for. Below are a few members of my Team that could perhaps give you some inspiration.
Life – Don Miguel Ruiz
Author of “The Four Agreements.”
“You can have many great ideas in your head, but what makes the difference is the action. Without action upon an idea, there will be no manifestation, no results, and no reward.”
How he helped me: The Four Agreements is the book I turn to most often for wisdom and advice. I could write list upon list of all the things Ruiz has helped me with. But one perfect example of his guidance is actually this article you’re reading now. I have journals filled with ideas and this past Sunday, I sat down with my friend for our “Four Agreements Book Club” (we literally meet every week to talk about how this book has come to play in our life), and I set my intention of finally taking action on some of these ideas. One idea I’ve had for ages was writing a blog post on creating a Team of Mentors – Ruiz reminded me to sit down and take action. Instead of thinking about this post, I was inspired to WRITE. So these words you are reading are the manifestation of an idea that’s been in the works for a very long time. And this concept of action applies to eeeeverything. Those ideas you have stored up in your mind? DO IT! Thank you, Don.
Growth – Mr. Miyagi
Karate master from, “The Karate Kid.”
“First learn stand, then learn fly.”
How he helped me: So many times, when I want to try something new, I expect to be a master right away. Mr. Miyagi always reminds me that I always need to take baby steps. That in the beginning, I will likely fail, but I must get up and try again. With practice and commitment, I will eventually master. We must have a solid foundation before we can continue leveling up. I’ve applied his wisdom to practicing yoga, teaching, and even learning how to cook! He also inspires me because of his calm demeanor. We live in such a competitive world and Mr. Miyagi is always centered and never lets his ego win. Thank you, Mr. Miyagi.
Self-Love – Luna Lovegood
A Ravenclaw witch from “Harry Potter.”
“Being different isn’t a bad thing. It means you’re brave enough to be yourself.”
How she helped me: Luna Lovegood is my favorite character from Harry Potter because even though people think she is “loony,” she is always herself. She’s gentle, kind, and eccentric, but she never hides who she is. She embraces her uniqueness and inspires others to find their own uniqueness, and most importantly, not hide it. I used to always conceal my book covers while reading in public because I was worried of the judgment. The other day I was at a coffee shop with my journal and kept it face down because the cover has a large pink unicorn and the words, “Dream Traveler” emblazoned on it. Not a normal journal for a 33-year old. But then an image of Luna popped into my head. I turned my journal over and I was proud of it. I love my belief in magic, my ability to tap into my inner child, and my forever love of all things fantasy. No shame! Thank you, Luna.
Dreams – Robert Moss
Dream teacher and author of “Sidewalk Oracles.”
“When we pay attention, we find that we are given signs by the world around us every day.”
How he helped me: Robert Moss’ books have truly changed my life. I became an avid dreamer and experienced the magic of lucid dreams because of his books. After I read “Sidewalk Oracles,” I began looking at life in a new way. I started noticing more and more coincidences, synchronicities, and meaning in everything. He taught me how to listen to my intuition and follow the signs the Universe was giving me every day. It’s because of this that I quit my corporate job and started my journey as a teacher in Asia. Thank you, Robert.
Philosophy – Alan Watts
Philosopher who brought Eastern knowledge to the West.
“All you see out in front of you is how you feel inside your head.”
How he helped me: When you start diving into the Universe and how everything is connected, it can make your head spin. Alan Watts has a way of breaking down complex theories into captivating lectures that are easy to digest and are also very calming, thanks to his poetic voice. Much like Robert Moss, after reading and listening to Alan Watts’ works, my perceptions began to change. It’s wild when I began realizing how much my days were affected simply by me emotions. I used to think my life was a result of outside factors and what happens to me, but I now believe that if I focus on myself and finding balance within, my outer world will reflect this. Sometimes I ask, “Am I happy because it’s sunny? Or is it sunny because I’m happy?” Honestly, these days, I truly believe that it’s sunny because I’m happy… Thank you, Alan.
Teaching and Writing – Elizabeth Thatcher
Teacher who settles into a small mining town from, “When Calls the Heart.”
“Teaching will always be first in my heart, but now that I’m settled in, I can finally pursue my passion for writing. I want to capture the spirit of this special place; of the love and the caring, so that I can share it with the world. There’s nowhere else on Earth like Hope Valley.”
How she helped me: Hope Valley is a place I love to escape to. Elizabeth left her comfortable life in the big city and became this tiny mining town’s resident teacher. Throughout the show, she writes about her experiences on the frontier and how she overcomes obstacles with her students and the community. Since I’m living and teaching in Asia, sometimes I channel Elizabeth and think, “What would Miss Thatcher do?” She approaches everything with creativity and kindness – and I’ve noticed that her solutions are always so simple. I know Hallmark Channel situations are usually “too good to be true,” but what if life really could be this simple? Thank you, Miss Thatcher.
Adventure – Belle
Non-conforming daughter of an inventor in “Beauty and the Beast.”
“I want adventure in the great wide somewhere.”
How she helped me: Belle is a young girl from a small town who loves to read books, imagines living in a fairytale, and wants to explore the world. Belle is like my spirit sister… She inspires me to break out of my comfort zone; that there is “more than this provincial life.” When I moved to Asia 3 years ago, I had a vision of making the stories I had read about come true. I’ve taken many leaps of faith and have created a wonderful story of my own…and I even found my own handsome ‘beast!’ Thank you, Belle.
p.s. Just now seeing how similar Miss Thatcher and Belle look! Coincidence? I think not!
These are just a few examples of my Team. I encourage you to sit down and think about people you aspire to be like and invite them to your own team. You don’t need money or Oprah’s e-mail address – all you need is your imagination to receive the benefit.
Now go forth and conquer, young Padawan!
