Since the Internet was nothing more to me than an easy way to get banking done during my busy schedule, I had little knowledge about it's marvels or pitfalls. That is no longer the case. In these past grueling months of investigating online "opportunities," the absolute truth came to me like a blinding light.

Learning in a vacuum is not learning. It is a series of mistakes, errors in judgment and a roller-coaster of low lows and high highs. Trying to cope

without the fresh breeze of another's ideas is not the way to success in any

business. Particularly in one that is, after all, world wide! To believe that, without any experience and all alone, one can simply become instantly wealthy, is a terrible misconception.

The truth is that we need leadership. We need mentors with sterling reputations who will guide us with patience, compassion and excitement. It is a necessity to not feel alone, sealed off in front of a machine while trudging through this mystical maze of "opportunities."

Like many of you, I am weary of the term "mentor" as used online. Everyone it seems is an expert. Everyone has an immediate solution to your problem. It is not about those countless "coaches" that I write.

Thankfully (for students like myself) there are real mentors out there. They have created their own successes, built their own companies and usually have a sense of the greater good. These actual professionals, with their real lives and issues, are tremendously important to the learning that must be done to succeed. Most importantly, they give us inspiration.

None of the real mentors ask us to sit quietly and do nothing. They do not ask - they demand. They demand that we see in ourselves the ability to be more than we are. They encourage our evolution; through hard work and persistence.

Real leaders do not sell pipe dreams. They most especially do not allow nor encourage just anyone to join them in the journey. Actual mentors want actual students. The demand dedication to a cause, foresight in visualizing our goals and the toughness to get tasks done to accomplish the success they have modelled. They are selfless in sharing their successes. Even more astounding to me, they are uninhibited in sharing their failures and flaws. Now that, is a leader!

You may be wondering how to find such people. It isn't easy to weed out the pretenders from the real, I know. I cannot say that I miraculously zoned in on them. Like everything else in this business, it took a lot of slow, grinding work. Trust me when I tell you, once found, you'll recognize them right away. If the "mentor" you stumble upon does not offer some kind of guaranty, then likley your search should continue.

If I were to apply any one suggestion to the weeding prospects, I think it would be that. Mentors worth your time will guaranty your success. In some way or other you will find them offering a successful completion of your learning with no risk. You will get from A to B in a certain time-frame directly because of their support and training systems (urgently important).Along the way, you will have live support, actual contact with trainers and answers to your questions no matter how inane they may seem.

In summation, these actual people will be accessible; will have so much confidence in their own success as to guaranty yours; will provide all the tools you need; will offer all of this or a return on your investment (large or small) if you do not get there from here.

Please keep in mind at all times, they are obligated to do all of this if you do the work. That is your commitment - success is their's.