When I was growing up, I was an outsider. I wasn’t popular in school. I was kind of an invisible student and just an ok athlete. What people didn’t know about me was that there was an ambition inside me that never expressed itself in formal education. However, my parents were very supportive of me. They believed in me and supported me. They were my first mentors.

My first mentor outside my family was my dad’s friend, a successful millionaire that gave me a shot at opening and running a tanning salon when I was only 18 years old. One day, he invited me to a meeting about a Network Marketing opportunity. As I walked out of that meeting, I overheard him tell someone, “Do you see that kid? That kid is going to be better than all of us combined.” 

His belief in me was such an amazing gift. My family had to believe in me, but he didn’t. And when I didn’t believe in me, I could always borrow his belief in me. I credit his mentorship in helping me become the success I am today.

I believe there’s no faster path to success than a mentor. They have a wisdom that you don’t possess yet. If you spend time with them, they can shorten your learning curve, which is important because the most expensive thing in the world is wasted time.

Marina and I now spend somewhere in the ballpark of a half a million dollars a year just on learning – mentors, coaches, courses. Why? Because we only have so much time, and you know what? You only have so much time too. 

Whether you’re 25 or 65 years old, you’re here to make a difference. You have the choice to get the most out of each year or to just let another year go by. It’s so easy to lose a year. A lost day turns into a lost week, a lost week turns into a lost month, and a lost month turns into a lost year. 

It’s unbelievable what you can accomplish in 5 years if you focus. So if you can spend some money to shorten your learning curve, you HAVE to … even if there’s just A CHANCE that spending money on a mentor, coach or course will give you a return. 

I’ve never even met some of my biggest mentors. And some of my mentors were my mentors before I ever met them. Long before I met Jim Rohn and we became friends, he was one of my mentors. I listened to his programs over and over in my car.  The same is true with Les Brown and Og Mandino.  We spent countless hours together before we ever met and became friends in person.
So I want you to make a commitment to yourself. Open yourself up to opportunity. When an opportunity that you can grow from comes up, say YES.