She glides across the concrete floor in her bare feet, so serene she almost floats. Her white linen clothes and glossy, silver hair flow gracefully as she walks. She is warm and welcoming. She exudes a humble self-assuredness and a quiet strength. There is a sense that her wisdom is hard earned, a culmination of knowledge gained and experiences had, over many years. She is my Inner Mentor. She is me, or at least the version I hope to be, twenty years into the future.
Your Inner Mentor is your imagined, most authentic version of yourself. You connect with her to access your inner wisdom. She is a source of guidance, that deep sense of knowing, that voice of unconditional love and compassion that lives within us all, and which is uniquely ours.
I met my Inner Mentor through a visualization exercise that is derived from the Co-Active Training Institute and used heavily by Tara Mohr in her Playing Big program. The guided visualization connects you to a vision of your future self. The person you already are deep down inside, and who you can one day become, when unburdened by the fears and insecurities that plague us all in the present moment. She is not a destination that you are striving for, more of a North Star to guide you in creating the life that you desire. Having met your Inner Mentor, you can consult her at any time for guidance on decisions or inspiration for how you want to show up in your life.
I connect with my Inner Mentor periodically. She is the whisper in my ear when I am discouraged, reminding me that the journey is long, and that patience, perseverance and discerning dedication is required. I recognize her in the calming trickle of my water fountain and in the dancing flame of the candle on my windowsill. I am inspired by her self-assurance when boldness and courage is required. The black velvet sofa in my office is a small (but bold) manifestation of the way that the vision that she has inspired has been brought into my current reality!
Lingering Thought: What is your Inner Mentor like? What can you do now to access her wisdom, to grow into the vision of the life you desire?
*Meeting your Inner Mentor is my favorite part (and the focus of Session 3) of the Women’s Coaching Circle, an 8-week program for women, that I cofounded with Laura Bennett. The Women’s Coaching Circle helps high-achieving women to discover a deeper sense of self, as a way to bring more meaning and fulfillment into their lives.
The Spring Cohort of the Women’s Coaching Circle begins April 1. See here for registration details.