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Get Yourself a Mentor
The original mentor is a character in Homer's epic poem The Odyssey. When Odysseus, King of Ithaca went to fight in the Trojan War, he entrusted the care of his kingdom to Mentor. Mentor served as the teacher and overseer of Odysseus's son, Telemachus.
Through out history, when a person wanted to learn a trade, like carpentry or glass blowing, they would be taken under the wing of a expert and would spend years learning the trade as an apprentice.
In today's vocabulary, the expert or teacher is called a mentor. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines a mentor as "a trusted counselor or guide. A mentor is like a coach. Someone who is usually older, more experienced, who helps and guides another person's development.
It is very important for you to learn what your special gifts and talents are. Having a mentor will not only help you learn more about your area of interest, it will also help you believe in your dreams, see your goals as reachable while building your self esteem and self confidence. It will help you reclaim your sense of self. Having a mentor will help you to develop to your fullest potential. You will learn to express yourself more effectively and make wise choices.
A mentoring relationship may be formal or informal. It is important to choose a mentor whose goals are similar to your own, and whom you admire and respect. If you have more than one area of interest, you may want to have more than one mentor,one for each area of interest. A mentor may be male or female. But you will find that a female mentor may give you insights into the dynamics of women's socialization to please and defer to men. This can be very empowering. Talk to the person who you would like to be your mentor. Don't put it off. What can you lose? Even if they decline to be your mentor, and very few will, they will be flattered that you asked.