There’s an old saying “Those who can’t do, teach”. I heard my Mom say that often enough when she got disgusted with the guidance counselors at my school.

Now that I’m older and have had some time to think about it, that one phrase greatly diminishes teachers of all kinds. Looking back at all the teachers who made an impact on my life, many of them wouldn’t have been as great as they were if they didn’t have experience with what they were teaching to begin with.

Take my karate instructors for example. How did they earn their black belts? By starting as a white belt and working their way up through the ranks with a lot of sweat and effort. If they couldn’t “do”, they wouldn’t have passed all those tests.

They in turn passed their knowledge down to me and made sure I knew everything I needed to know (and execute it correctly!) so I could pass my tests with flying colors.

The dojo (karate school) was like one, big mastermind group. The benefits were very much the same:

• You had a group of people available to help you succeed.
• You got the benefit of differing perspectives, input and feedback.
• You had resources and connections you might not have had on your own.
• You receive accountability and inspiration from the group, which enabled you to maintain focus in achieving your goals.

The Mastermind

Today, “mastermind group” is a bit of a buzzword. There are mastermind groups all over the place. But what is a “mastermind”?

A mastermind is two or more people who work together in harmony for a common purpose. It is the principle of using the experience and influence of other people to get what you want to accomplish.

This kind of group is teachers teaching teachers. Everyone in a Mastermind is an expert in their own fields. They have “done” and now want to teach others, or learn how to do something else.

Wendi and I both can do. Now we have others who want to write a book, start their own business or embark on a design project and they want to learn how to do what we did. Luckily, we at Blue Sun love to share. What good is keeping all this knowledge to ourselves?

The Way of the Wolf

Teachers keep tradition alive. They keep commerce moving through training and the passing on of specific skills to keep any given industry moving forward. They ensure our history is preserved, our languages stay alive and our cultures continue to thrive. Parents teach their children, children teach other children, managers teach their employees. The media teaches us even when we’re being entertained. Every single one of us is a teacher.

You may be wondering about the wolf image at the top of the post. That’s a card from the Medicine Cards deck by Jamie Sams and David Carson. This is a deck of tarot based on Native American totem animals. Wolf is the teacher.

Wolves have a strong sense of family. Pack is survival. Pack is life. It’s a society of individuals all working toward a common goal.  Wolf medicine is symbolic of the teacher inside of all of us. When this card is drawn in a reading it’s telling you, you have something worth sharing with others.

Sams and Carson write: “It is in the sharing of great truths that the consciousness of humanity will attain new heights.”

This is what being a part of a mastermind group is all about.

Your Mastermind

How would you like to be a part of a mastermind group? Are you a writer, entrepreneur or artist ready to get serious about your work? Could you benefit from the thoughts and experience of others? What can you bring to the table?

When your business, writing or art ceases to be your hobby and you want to take it to the next level, you’re ready to get down to the nitty-gritty with a focused group of like-minded people. And we’ve got just the place for you.

Over the past several weeks, Wendi and I have been building a home for our own mastermind group. Creative Clarity Coaching is the newest division of Blue Sun Studio and we would love to see you there. Stop by and see what we have to offer in the way of coaching and how you can apply for a spot in the Creative Clarity Mastermind.

Click here to visit and apply today!