Let me start off by saying I firmly believe in modeling others and not re-inventing the wheel.

Last week I had a 2 day retreat with Alicia Forest, someone I admire very much whose Platinum program I joined for the year. I stayed in an adorable Bed and Breakfast in the Hudson Valley in New York and during both days we worked on planning out my business for the next year.

It was an intense experience, with me furiously taking page upon page of notes as Alicia shared her wisdom and applied it to my specific business.

The retreat to me was invaluable. The one-on-one, face to face attention I received is something that is already propelling me forward faster than anything I have done in the past.

You see, Alicia is someone who has already done what I am looking to do with my own business. So often, we think things need to be a struggle we face alone. I’ve certainly tried doing it that way in the past.

But if someone can shortcut the learning curve dramatically because they have already achieved what you are hoping to yourself, why not model them?

As an aside, there were people who probably looked at what I did– leaving my husband and traveling three hours alone to meet someone until then I’d only spoke to over the phone and on the internet–as something a little crazy that they’d never do. Oh, and the money I spent for the privilege of working with my mentor in person–nothing to sneeze at. And that’s fine.

I’ve realized that if you want big success for yourself you need to do things that most people aren’t willing to do. I’m o.k. with the fact that the majority of others in my life will never quite understand hiring coaches or mentors and spending lots of time on personal development. It’s not for everyone and it doesn’t make one person any better than the other. It’s simply different goals and priorities.

For myself, my “why” is strong enough that learning from someone else who has already done what I want to accomplish in the next couple of years makes perfect sense. (The “why” being that I never want to go back to working for someone else and want to be around for my future family instead of being chained to an office, a commute, and someone else deciding how much money I am worth.  Can you tell I am passionate about this? :))

So, since I have been home I have been busy implementing all of the great stuff I learned and moving forward.  It’s a busy and exciting time and I am grateful that I decided to take the plunge and work privately with Alicia.

I would really like to hear how you feel about modeling others and having mentors of your own. Do you have one or have you in the past? How have they helped you, held you accountable or made a difference in your life? Let me know your thoughts.