You're at the age now where you have a lot of questions about a lot of important things! From relationships to big life choices, sometimes you feel like it would be great if you had someone to turn to who could give you trusted guidance and advice to help you make the right decisions.

A mentor is someone you can connect with who is able to guide you and get you thinking but still let you make your own decisions about things.

You can uncover your mentor by following these five easy steps:

Write down what you need
If you put down on paper exactly what you would require from a mentor – what you’d like help or guidance with, what kind of values they should have and how you imagine the relationship to be – it’ll give you a clearer idea of what you need.

Make a list of potential mentors
Write down all the people in your life that inspire you to work hard, make something of yourself and who have wisdom to impart. Perhaps it's your uncle who runs his own successful business, the girl in the year above you at school that you look up to or a colleague at work who excels.

Do some research
Once you have a clear idea of what you’re looking for in a mentor and you’ve made your list of people you look up to, it’s time to knuckle down and do some research! Find out more about each person on your list. Do they have the same values as you? Do they have time and are they willing to be a mentor?

Test the waters
By now, you have probably narrowed your list down to a few people. Start conversations with these people, if you feel safe to do so. Tell them your goals and dreams, and what you’re looking for guidance on. Ask them questions about all the things you're grappling with – school or work, your future – and see how they react. You'll immediately notice who's willing to step up and give you advice and who isn't.

Make a decision
Based on your conversations with these people and how you feel about their answers and the way they handled themselves with you, it's time to make a decision! Weigh up the pros and cons of each, and once you've settled on who you'd like to ask to be your mentor, put on your brave face and go for it.

As you follow these five steps to finding your mentor, don’t lose faith. The person you choose to be your mentor will often be honoured to help you.