While there are many secrets to success, they are only secrets until you know about them. I’m about to let you in on a little known "secret" shared by many successful people.

Ask any person who has already succeeded in their chosen field, and they could likely provide you with name of at least one other person who has inspired them in their success. This is process of mentoring.

Mentoring can occur in whatever field you have chosen for yourself, be it business, healthcare, trades or even parenting.

You may be wondering what exactly is mentoring? Formal mentoring involves a close personal relationship with someone who has succeeded in your chosen field. A mentor is someone who is doing what you want to do, or, more specifically, being how you want to be.

A quality mentor generously shares their knowledge and resources. They may live by philosophy of ’More for All, Less for None’. They consider themselves successful when their mentees (that would be you) succeed.

A mentor agrees to take you under their wing and show you ropes, so to speak. They share their own resources with you, help you develop your own, teach you to develop critical decision-making skills, and simply provide you with moral support in your journey towards success.

There are formal organizational structures that match up mentors and mentees, particularly in student situations. Sometimes, too, a mentoring relationship develops casually, in work and parenting situations. This is also just as effective.

You can set up a formal mentoring relationship on your own, if this is what suits you. To do so involves identifying and approaching someone you would like to be your mentor, someone who’s qualities and abilities you admire. A formal mentoring relationship is a time/energy commitment. As mentioned previously, though, most successful people have been helped in this manner themselves and acknowledge benefits of giving in a mentoring situation.

Mentoring is a truly reciprocal situation. As a mentee (again, that would be you!), you may feel you are getting more than you are giving. You really need to just allow mentor to give. Your job is to gratefully receive all they have to offer. No greater gift could be given to a mentor, than for them to see their mentee succeed.

Our thoughts become our words become our actions become our reality. It’s that simple. And that complex.

Saying something negative about yourself does two things.

1. You come to believe it and thus, live it

And

2. It confuses heck out of Universe - especially if you have been expressing your desire for opposite.

Our success depends on our increasing awareness of how we speak about ourselves. Rather than expressing a negative thought that pops up, consider replacing it with a positive affirmation.