There have been many mentors and thought leaders that have influenced and impacted my life over the years. In many cases, these are people I have never met in person. But that has not in any way diminished the value they have created in my life. In fact, these may at times have been the greater influence. Why? I’m not sure I fully came to realize this until I listened to a recent conversation between Darren Hardy, Publisher of Success Magazine and John C. Maxwell, leadership expert, author and speaker.
Their discussion was around coaching. What it is, how it works and the value it creates. There were two points in the discussion that were meaningful moments for me. The first is that most mentors and coaches will have optimal value for a season in our lives. Rarely is their influence continuous. As a coach and mentor myself, I ascribe to this philosophy but it was validating to hear this from both of these leaders in personal development.
The second is that a good deal of mentoring and coaching does happen outside of a personal relationship. It has its genesis in books, audio files, programs, etc. Some of them may not even be generational contemporaries. This was validating because again, it’s a philosophy I share and also re-enforces two key elements: 1) Continued need for personal leadership and development education; and 2) Importance of developing our inner coach.
When Dr. Maxwell spoke about the inner coach it really resonated with me. Because that is where true transformation happens. When we can take a principal of personal leadership and internalize it, we are in fact giving it permission to transform us. With transformation comes a changed perspective and with that, the world of possibilities expands beyond anything we can imagine.
As I think about this and how it impacts the way I serve my own community it means that their growth has in some part a dependency on my own. We can only serve others to the point that we have grown. To serve more, we must grow more. The beauty in that is that the cycle never ends. We can continue to grow so we can continue to serve. It’s not a limit, it’s an invitation.
Where can you begin to grow so that you can expand where, who and how you serve?
We recently said our earthly good-bye to one of those mentors whom I never met personally but was an impactful spirit in my life, Dr. Wayne Dyer. As I reflected on our ability to continue to serve beyond our earthly presence it brought me comfort and peace. Here is one of my favorite lessons I learned from Dr. Dyer:
“When you are able to shift your inner awareness to how you can serve others, and when you make this the central focus of your life, you will then be in a position to know true miracles in your progress toward prosperity.”
Live (grow) today like you want tomorrow to be. Live (grow) well!