Who’s helping you realize your dreams?

As an INFJ, you’re made for mentoring. Yes, there is a host of tools, techniques, and resources to help you grow. But not one of them can do what a mentor can.

If it weren’t for my mentor, there’d be no iSpeakPeople.com. That you’re reading this line right now is a testament to the fact that mentoring is powerful.

And I would be doing you, my fellow introvert, a serious disservice if I didn’t try to persuade you that you need a mentor.

Please, take just a minute, and consider three reasons why.

1. Depth

INFJ crave depth and honesty. Meaningful discussions feed and energize us. While we may not have as many friends as extroverts do, we prize genuine relationships.

Mentoring relationships are focused and purpose-driven. It’s just you and one other person, the perfect environment for sharing dreams and goals, identifying your strengths, and growing through challenges.

In addition, your mentor will hold you accountable. When you say you’re going to do something, he’ll make sure you do it. Lip service and mentors don’t mix. Mentors want to see progress and growth as much as or more than you do.

2. Experience

Experience has a lot to teach us if we’ll listen. And one of the best places to learn from it is in a mentoring relationship.

Whatever road you’re on in this part of life, your mentor’s most likely already been down it. Who’s better qualified to steer you around bumps and keep you out of the ditches?

In my first few years teaching, I was swamped. I was doing a terrible job prioritizing and putting first things first. Planning and grading that I should have finished during the school day were following me home each night and popping up on the weekends.

That’s when my mentor started teaching me how to get more work done in less time and cut out fluff. He taught me how to kill two birds with one stone and fit my tasks to my time. I started filtering my work through Steven Covey’s time management matrix.

My life improved dramatically.

3. Perspective

Who have you invited into your life to rock the boat in a good way?

My mentor is an extrovert, while I’m an introvert. He’s mechanical, logical, and efficient. I’m reflective, intuitive, and interpersonal.

It’s a beautiful match.

He challenges me to connect with other people when I’d prefer to stay inside and read. He questions my priorities and helps me discern what’s most important. When I say something can’t be done, he helps me see how it absolutely can be done with a little ingenuity.

I don’t always leave our meetings with warm fuzzies. On the contrary, I often leave feeling confused, frustrated, or incredulous. But that’s exactly what I need.

It’s what we all need.

The best learning takes place when our minds experience cognitive dissonance. When we think the world works one way and suddenly realize we’re wrong, we scramble to make sense of everything. That’s the moment when we’re primed for a breakthrough.

Consider this analogy. Good weightlifters tear their muscles ever so slightly each time they complete a bench press or bicep curl repetition. Then, while they’re at rest, the muscles repair themselves. But they come back stronger than before.

That’s what mentoring does for you. It pushes you out of your comfort zone in order to help you get stronger, smarter, and wiser than you were before.

Have you benefited from mentoring or coaching? Please consider sharing your wisdom below.

Want to work with me? Check out my mentoring/coaching page.