3 ms·

The book "Mastery" by Robert Greene does a deep dive into mentorship, including the process of finding mentors. I highly recommend it. I won't attempt to summar

The book "Mastery" by Robert Greene does a deep dive into mentorship, including the process of finding mentors. I highly recommend it. I won't attempt to summarize it all, but one of the strategies outlined in the book involves building a relationship over time by making yourself useful to the person who you want to be mentored by. Many of the most high-powered people aren't going to have time to just mentor people out of generosity, so I wouldn't rely on the kind of advice that involves hoping that you'll get a reply from a cold call request for mentorship. Make yourself useful to that person, save them time and they'll mentor you in order to keep you around. But I recommend reading the book itself to get a better idea of how this works. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007V65PBK/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007V65PBK/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?...

toomuchtodo 7y ago
You summed up the best advice. Make yourself useful to someone with the resources to mentor you. Be prepared to go the extra mile; it’ll pay dividends not only through skills acquired, but forming life long relationships, which are arguably more valuable.
jchook 7y ago
I highly recommend this book as well. One of my favorite parts talks about how the word "apprentice" comes from the same root as "apprehend", etymologically "to grasp with the hand". Evolution has endowed us with mirror neurons -- a function of the brain that mimics what others must think/feel as you watch them perform some task. For a long time in human history, apprenticeships largely consisted of watching and imitating the master, with very little to no verbal instruction. Watching a master at work can get you on the right track extremely fast since you don't spend as much time exploring inefficient paths or dead-ends, bumping into obstacles, and misusing tools. Greene tours the apprenticeships and anecdotes of timeless masters throughout history and modern times. He can help you discover your natural inclinations, and navigate the power dynamics that govern your path to mastery.
bigred100 7y ago
I have little respect for this guy, who seems to write (in my opinion) slightly more learned than average self-help books for people who want to feel smart/amoral. Apparently he is a favorite author among prison inmates.
- rankandpile 7y ago
  What's wrong about being popular among prison inmates?!

toomuchtodo 7y ago

You summed up the best advice. Make yourself useful to someone with the resources to mentor you. Be prepared to go the extra mile; it’ll pay dividends not only through skills acquired, but forming life long relationships, which are arguably more valuable.

jchook 7y ago

I highly recommend this book as well. One of my favorite parts talks about how the word "apprentice" comes from the same root as "apprehend", etymologically "to grasp with the hand". Evolution has endowed us with mirror neurons -- a function of the brain that mimics what others must think/feel as you watch them perform some task. For a long time in human history, apprenticeships largely consisted of watching and imitating the master, with very little to no verbal instruction. Watching a master at work can get you on the right track extremely fast since you don't spend as much time exploring inefficient paths or dead-ends, bumping into obstacles, and misusing tools. Greene tours the apprenticeships and anecdotes of timeless masters throughout history and modern times. He can help you discover your natural inclinations, and navigate the power dynamics that govern your path to mastery.

bigred100 7y ago

I have little respect for this guy, who seems to write (in my opinion) slightly more learned than average self-help books for people who want to feel smart/amoral. Apparently he is a favorite author among prison inmates.

rankandpile 7y ago
What's wrong about being popular among prison inmates?!