Virtual Mentor

Posted on January 4, 2008 at 3:00 pm by Jerad Hill 2 Comments

I came across the idea of a Virtual Mentor today and realized that I already have a few of them. It is harder today then it ever has been to get mentored with out paying for it one way or another. With the vast amount of information out there one could say that a mentor is not even necessary anymore. I beg to differ. We need more help today then we ever have needed in the past.

I read many blogs, I have a software program on my computer that helps me keep them in order. On a few of the blogs I read I interact with the author quite often, many times resulting in suggestions to action that I take in my own life from business to personal aspects. I guess you could say I get advice from these people and on occasion put it to work in my own life. Sounds kind of like a mentor.

California State University of Monterey Bay describes a mentor as “a person who provides guidance and recommendations to a more junior person for courses of action and behavior.”

Most of the content I read online is written by people in similar industries as I who have been at it for many years. Much of how I have built and ran my own business was modeled after bits and pieces I have gleaned off of others.

I highly recommend that you take an hour and search for a few virtual mentors of your own. To keep blogs organized you can use Google Reader for free.

  • CJ Nielsen

    Ill be honest, I look up to a lot of the stuff you share on this sit about your life. Im 21, young entrepreneur also working for myself. I cant seem to focus one thing. I think mostly because i haven’t found exactly what i want to do. But have a lot of my ideas whizzing through my head. But the point is, i stumbled upon your website, and have been visiting everyday since. Its only been maybe a month, but i love it. Really inspiring. Keep up the good work.

  • http://www.ijerad.com Jerad

    CJ, I completely understand where you are coming from. I started working for myself when I was 20 and have been through many changes since then. I go through what feels like a million ideas, some which I attempt, others I squash right away. What I had to get past was the idea that the next best thing could be the next thing to take off for me. I know what I’m good at but I am always trying to find new things to be good at. When things really started to work out for me was when I realized that I just need to focus on one or two things. So I decided to cut out everything else except photography and web design. Yes I still have many other passions, like video production, but for work I do only those two things. My next hobby I want to stay a hobby instead of trying to turn it into a business.

    I appreciate your kind remarks about my blog. Your comment is truly inspiring and encouraging to me.

    Thank you,

    Jerad