Mentoring is an ideal and necessary part of the learning process.

Mentors are people who give time and energy to share knowledge, skills, and abilities with others. Finding good mentors and becoming a good mentor are both key elements in self-directed learning.

It's never too early (or too late) to find or become a mentor. Just the other day, I saw my five-year-old son enthusiastically showing a friend how to play the piano. My son isn't an accomplished painist. In fact, just that same day or the day before he had gained the knowledge he was sharing with such gusto. He had no teaching certifications, no professional licenses to teach. It was enough that he knew more than his friend and that he was excited for the opportunity to share.

This enthusiasm for learning and for sharing what we know comes naturally. Too often, we lose it as we get older and have negative experiences with learning. We lose confidence in our ability to share, and we lose confidence that we have something important to share.

But the truth is that you have much to learn from good mentors and you also have the ability to be a good mentor. Really, all you need to find a good mentor is to find someone who knows more than you do on a subject and who is willing to share. The mentor might be older than you are, or the mentor might be younger. And to be a good mentor, all you really need is the willingness to share what you know.

Here are some more detailed steps on choosing a mentor: