Your Future Mentors Are Watching

You've set a goal and are putting in the hours to get what you want.

Why is everything moving so slow?

Larry was a mentor of mine when I was in my twenties. He owned a business, made an exceptional living, and after hiring me to work for him, took me under his wing. It was a relationship that lasted for years - although I'm sure I didn't make it easy.

That's the thing about being a young, bright-eyed dreamer with lots of talent and not much patience. It's easy to see what others have, set an arbitrary date on a calendar, and expect that everything will go your way.

One day, I pinned Larry in his office and was making my best case for a raise. I was sure he had gobs of cash, and I deserved my share.

After all, I was 26 years old, so it's time that I had a big house and a fancy car like him.

That's when Larry said something that changed everything -

"Scott, sometimes you have to keep showing up long enough for the right people to notice. Keep doing a good job, and they'll step up."

Of course, Larry was already stepping up and was being very generous. I'm not sure I knew that, and I wouldn't say I liked his answer. I'm pretty sure that I stomped out of his office and gossiped about him in the kitchen.

Over the years, though, I noticed that there seems to be a hidden layer of successful people all around me. They were keeping an eye out for somebody like me. Larry was right -

The person who can help make your life better is not always the person standing in front of you.

If you give it enough time, no matter what you do, when you least expect it, somebody will say, "We need to talk. It's time we do something together."