Mentors Around Every Corner

Do you have a library card? At this point you're probably asking
yourself how in the world this is possibly going to translate into a
commentary on self-improvement. Bear with me on this because it's
going to fit together I assure you.

Sadly, if you're like most folks you don't have one. Not only that,
you might not even remember the last time you took advantage of these
incredible repositories of knowledge. In actuality the word
incredible is a gross understatement to describe just how much is
waiting for us all on those bookshelves. And in many cases for FREE
to boot!

It's been said many times that a person can become an expert in just
about anything provided they take the amount of required time for
them to learn the subject. I won't go in depth here but suffice it to
say I am huge proponent of continued self education. I hope that you
are as well.

There are many methods you and I can apply to put ourselves on the
path towards continuos education. We've got the Internet. We've got
those around us & our mentors. We have all kinds of formal education
and not so formal... and of course we have libraries.

As promised in my opening statement, here's how it all fits together.
I read a whole lot of personal development books and listen to a lot
of tapes. It's not uncommon for me to not know what's currently
playing on the radio stations because I prefer to use my driving time
as learning time.

In addition to personal development I also like to read biography's
and auto-biography's of people I am interested. There's an old quote
that I simply love which say's "Success Leaves Clues". It's in this
truth that leads me to read a lot of biographies. So this past week I
wanted to get a better grasp of courage, persistence, and the will to
simply not give up in the face of dire situations.

On stroll through the audio section of my library I found a copy of
the autobiography of Lance Armstrong, called "It's Not About The
Bike - My Journey Back to Life". If you're not familiar with Lance's
story let me tell you it's an incredible example of courage and a
willingness to prevail over the odds. I simply can't do justice to
what an impact listening to it had on me.

You see, Lance is a cyclist who at the peak of his career was
diagnosed with testicular cancer. The story did not end there. Not by
a long shot! Lance Armstrong went on to not only beat his battle with
cancer, but to become the 3-time winner of the Tour de France (1999-
2001). It's told from a very real stand point, he points out in the
beginning that it's not your traditional rose colored story of
overcoming the odds. It's a wonderful heartfelt example of courage
and hope and willingness to keep going no matter what might come our
way.

Such examples of courage, hope, and just about anything else you care
to learn about are all around us, many of which are available in
places such as your area library. Take an active role in your own
personal growth and start taking advantage of such resources.

As follow-up to the story of Lance Armstrong I've just started
listening to "Still Me" an autobiography of Christopher Reeve. The
simple fact is that mentors are all around us. They can come in many
forms, from the people we interact with, to recounted stories in
books and tapes... Your in success, Josh Hinds