0Look at ALL the success stories , the one thing that is common is having a Mentor.
Mentors come is various shapes and sizes, so to speak!
Having a professional mentor is no doubt the right way, but that benefit may not be available to you straight-up.
Look for people with mentoring skills, there are many around us, it could be that nagging friend of yours, your grandmother , yes your own mother or father, maybe your brother... cousin, teacher, you must explore and will be surprised that your true mentor may have been around you all the time. Due to social views and thinking processess you may never have been able to see it.
Well, if all that fails, you must look outside. I guess.
But get a mentor. Mentors can be had at any age or time of your life.
So what makes a good mentor?
Good mentors are :-
1. Strict with you.
2. Demonstrate what they expect.
3. Show a passion (crazy levels) to help you. (In fact it may even scare you away... ironic)
4. Usually good mentors march to a different beat (not easily evident)
The above points are a start. Research the net with the following key words : "Mentoring", "Mentor"
You could start with Wikipedia, move on to Youtube and then back to Chrome with the Keywords search.
Remember a good mentor is no doubt an essential , but being a good mentee is essential too.
But a good mentor ususally gets you to be a good mentee ... neverthless you too could put in a bit of effort !!
Here's a start : cut and paste this link
http://www.aaps.org/uploadedfiles/content/career_center/professional_development/what_is_mentoring.pdf
