Trying to pursue and grow in a mobile job all by yourself is the least effective way to proceed with your career. As Holly always likes to say, “If you were meant to do life on your own, you would have been put on this earth all alone. You aren’t alone.”

Talk to successful people (or read their autobiographies) and you’ll often hear how a mentor made all the difference to their success. A strong mentor can help shorten your learning curve, provide a sounding board for ideas and decisions, connect you with people and resources you need, as well as provide a road map for success from their own journey.

Okay, maybe you know that but you may also wonder, “Great…but how do I find a mentor?” Do you just walk up to a successful person in your career field and ask, “Will you be my mentor?” Believe it or not, that approach can work.

Here's another approach: Observe successful people in your career field to see whom you might want to emulate. And yes, it doesn’t hurt to ask a simple, “Can I take you to lunch to pick your brain about this career field?” Most people will be flattered. If you do choose that route, be sure to do your homework so that you don’t waste their time. Prepare a list of questions ahead of time and take notes. Be sure to follow up. Send a hand-written thank you note and let them know what actions you took as a result of their suggestions. If you establish rapport during that initial meeting, they may well offer to continue to mentor you in person or by email.

Here’s another reason to belong to the professional association of your career field. Many associations have structured mentor programs. Check with yours. Even if they don’t you can ask if they have names of retired executives and former members who you might contact. If you are doing your own business, you can contact the Small Business Association with their SCORE program (Service Corps of Retired Executives) for a free business counselor.

Keep up with the trade publications in your field. You can often identify potential mentors from the articles. A simple “great article” note along with a follow-up question about the field might result in ongoing correspondence. At the least, you will likely get your specific question answered.

While we are on the subject of reading, realize that a mentorship doesn’t have to be an in-person relationship. You can learn a lot about the road to success in your career field by reading books and articles by those individuals who have achieved success in your field.

If you graduated from a university or college, check with your alumni relations department. Many of them have active mentor programs, as alumni often like to help out fellow alums.

And on the job itself, be proactive in looking for opportunities to connect with others for mentorship but also for other opportunities to expand your skills and enhance your resume for the future.

“You have to create your own opportunities,” says Lynn Edwards, Army spouse and Certified Meeting Planner. “Speak up and take things on.” When she worked at the Yakima Convention and Visitors Bureau, for example, she said to her boss, “I’m not interested in your job since we’ll be moving, but I want to learn.” He let her sit in on Board Meetings and City Council Meetings. When her boss told her they couldn’t afford to give her the raise she deserved, she negotiated time off and the entry fee to do her CMP training.

That’s one way that our mobile lifestyle is a plus. It’s unlikely you’ll have the opportunity to get into a rut of doing the same job over and over through retirement. As you move, actively look for positions that will stretch you into new experiences and new aspects of your career field. You’ll make yourself more marketable and most likely enjoy your work as a result.

Excerpted with permission from Help! I’m a Military Spouse — I Want a Life Too! How to Craft a Life for You as You Move with the Military by Kathie Hightower & Holly Scherer.