I think this is a great idea on how to choose a mentor.
The crux is this: Don’t look for someone completely out of your league.
I mean, if you want to write, don’t pester Stephen King or John Grisham about it. If you want to blog, don’t start out by trying to get in touch with the Pioneer Woman or Tim Ferriss. And if you want to get into the business world, don’t try to meet up with Bill Gates or Warren Buffett this weekend.
Start smaller.
Start with someone who is more likely to answer, and more likely to be flattered by your asking in the first place.
And for heaven’s sake, don’t ever actually call them a “mentor.”
I recommend starting with mentors who are slightly ahead of you. Find people who are where you would like to be in the next two to three years. They don’t have to be huge, world-renowned successes. They just need to be people who are successfully overcoming your current roadblocks.
-Tim Grahl, Running Down A Dream
