If anything, I had it a lot easier when I first got started. I knew I wanted to earn passive income, so I began searching for the term passive income and found a guy named Pat Flynn. I’ve literally seen this guys journey online. From making $3,000 his first month, to now making well over $150,000/mo in passive income. It’s absolutely insane. Those were the good old days.
I also had the privilege of interviewing the charismatic life teacher Kute Blackson, who has helped thousands transform their lives and has since written his own book –– You Are The One. I literally reached out to him by email and he responded right away. Gaining access to those who were in positions of influence had never been easier. Things were a lot simpler then.
While it’s still simple to send an email or to send a DM, it’s not as easy to gain access. The original influencer’s used to have 10 to 20 very manageable emails per week. Now they have thousands. So how do you find a business mentor who can give you their undivided attention? The simple answer is you can’t. At least not one who’s going to give you their undivided attention 2-3x’s per week for more than 5 minutes at a time.
We’ve reached a point of no return when it comes to attention. Everything in life and business is happening at such a rapid pace that the word ‘stop’ doesn’t exist. Remember when we used to say ‘brb’ on AIM messenger? Well we don’t say that anymore because we live here now and so do your prospective business mentors, except they don’t have the time because it’s become impossible to respond to everyone. Time is limited and these successful businessman understand this.
Selective Mentorship
I want to make it clear that I’m not saying it’s impossible to find a business mentor. It’s very possible to find someone to give you guidance and indirect advice by buying their courses, books, or even by way of consuming their free content online. However, it does come with a catch, and that is that you must be extremely selective or you will be left conflicted and in a state of no action.
The following are successful individuals whom I consider mentors:
- Gary Vaynerchuk – Founder of Vaynermedia (Net worth $160 Million)
- Grant Cardone – Worlds #1 Sales Trainer (Net worth $300 Million)
- David Meltzer – CEO of Sports 1 Marketing ( Negotiated $2 Billion In Sports Contracts)
- Tom Bilyeu – Co-Founder of Quest Nutrition (Net worth $400 Million)
- Tony Robbins – Entrepreneur (Net worth $480 Million)
- Aubrey Marcus – CEO of Onnit (Net worth $28 Million)
I consume most of their content because there is something within each of these guys that I look up to. First of all, they’re all great human beings who have not only made a lasting impact on those around them but who have also achieved massive financial success. They’re also all 100% transparent. I respect authenticity very much as it aligns with my core values.
I love Gary’s raw authenticity the most, he keeps it ?. Grant is a sales master, this guy knows what he’s talking about. As someone who’s currently in sales I want to learn from the very best and this guy knows how to get results. David is all about remaining open to receiving while also coming from a place of love, compassion and service. He operates from a very altruistic perspective, to give without expecting.
Tom is the epitome of working hard but not hiding behind success. He has an awesome YouTube channel called Impact Theory where he interviews the top achievers in all fields of life in order to give people insight and inspiration for others to take action on their goals. He’s a true listener with a hunger to learn more.
Tony hates to be called a life coach but let’s face it, the guy has worked with millions of people all across the world, helping people raise their standards for what’s possible for their lives by way of practical yet science backed methods.
Finally, Aubrey, is more of an unconventional based polyamorous influencer who is open to taking hallucinogens and runs a successful business while doing so. You can mostly likely find this dude at Burning Man.
Here’s Where It Gets Conflicting
Gary says to be happy, do what you love and make less. Grant tells you to do what you hate and make more. David will say give without expecting and be open to receiving. Tom would tell you to not to live a small life to make others happy. Tony would say the ultimate failure in life is massive success with zero fulfillment and Aubrey might tell you to drop a tab with him to find yourself.
All very unique perspectives which in theory could all lead to massive success but who’s advice should you follow? This is a question I find myself asking all the time that leaves me in a state of conflict and maybe it does for you too. Who’s right, who’s wrong?
The obvious advice would be to take a bit of each and melt it into what you need at a given time. If you’re anything like me, you know this is nearly impossible. Conflicting thoughts, constant ideas, follow your heart or follow the money, or follow adventure. An overwhelming amount of options, so little time.
Conclusion: Choose One
Amassing a library of over one-hundred books is something to be proud of. Whenever I stare at the shelves of my closet and see the vast amounts of knowledge in front of me, I feel like I’m always in good company. There are books in business, marketing, spirituality, psychology, economics, workplace management, autobiographies and even love. I’m surrounded by years of genius.
A closer look would reveal an entirely different story. Books unopened, others with the receipts still in them, and some with a page corner folded as a place marker. “I’ll get back to this later” is what I usually tell myself. It’s a lot like the mentors I’ve mentioned above. Each one of their stories inspires me in a very unique way, yet choosing one philosophy to adopt and run with is seemingly impossible.
It’s in this thought that I realize, that if you want to know what happens at the end of the story, you’ve got to keep turning the pages and see it all the way through. If it’s not a story you wholeheartedly align with, pick up another book. There’s always another story, another mentor. Perhaps the mentor you’ve been searching for all along.