People become successful in part by having relationships with people who have already found success. Of all the self-improvement information out there – whether to build wealth, get fit, invest in real estate, or knock some strokes off a round of golf – the ultra successful have mentors to learn from, go brain-picking, and get feedback from along the way.One of the best ways to navigate the path to success is to find someone who has already accomplished what you are trying to accomplish. This allows you to identify what worked and what didn’t work potentially saving yourself a lot of time, stress, and money. This is something I am still working on. This does not and should not be a formal thing either. Please do not approach the next successful real estate investor you find and ask him or her, “good afternoon, I was wondering if you would like to be my mentor?” The relationship should be organic and will evolve over time as long as you are intentional about it. Like making a new friend. Actually, that’s exactly what it is. Most people are not intentional about this and are afraid of bothering other people. The truth is, successful people like to share their stories of success and are generally happy to discuss how they were able to go from nothing to something. The genuinely want to help other people.Ideally this will be someone who has the ability to encourage you and pat you on the back when you are doing well but will also call you out with constructive criticism when you make a mistake or veer off course. Find people in your life that you would like to emulate and go brain-picking. Need to pay off debt? Find someone who is debt free and building wealth. Want to start your own online business? Find someone who has successfully mastered an online business. Take them to coffee. Ask them to tell their story. A lot of their story will likely be about what not to do. That’s good. Now you don’t have to make the same mistakes and you have more of roadmap to get you to where you want to go.Find a mentor. Go brain-picking.