I am now 51 years old and recently retired, uh, I mean, retooled for my second life. My first career of 30 years ran me headlong into every questions you pose in this post. Two seasons in particular where I was working 90 hour weeks for seven years and another as I finished my undergraduate work while working a full-time job and commuting 80 miles a day.

I feel (as you allude) that a mentor is VITAL. Two men mentored me and made an extraordinary difference in my life. That is why you may have seen me at Merridees on Tuesdays for the past nine years mentoring younger men. I am the recipient of reciprocal relationships that pay dividends, no matter if you are the mentor or the mentee. I have been extremely fortunate to experience both sides of the coin.

Some brief thoughts that come to mind as you try to keep all your "hats spinning".

Rhythms of life are vital. If you work to maintain rhythm, somehow everything seems more doable. For me, it was reading a cycle of business, professional and fun books 30 minute before bed. Running 3 days a week, if only for thirty minutes a day, a date night with each of my children once a month, a date night with my wife bi-weekly, reading trade magazines such as Wired, EW, MacWorld for 10 minutes in the morning, etc.

Solitude. Living a contemplative life is a foreign concept to Westerners, but it is a vital ingredient to the creative life. My best ideas have come from purposeful times alone. I do a tech and people fast, so I can deal with my interiorities.

Reading. I mentioned it above. Great leaders are great readers. Period. Read the Super Texts list of Dr. Steven Sample of USC, and the texts mentioned by Hugh Hewitt in "In But Not Of".

Journaling. Again, this helps maintain rhythm and gives perspective later on in life. One of the best words of advice to me early in life was to journal. And to not be discouraged when I failed to do it daily. Journal when you can, and then come back to it when you fail to do it for a while. There was one hectic period in my life when I did not journal for seven years. But I resolutely returned to writing and I'm so glad I did. I'm talking personal, honest journaling meant only for you, not blogging.

Intimacy with God and others. I've found a dearth of this practice in my own life and others, especially Christian leaders. This intimacy is the key to a satisfying life. I've made my work, my hobbies, my ego, my food, alcohol, sex and many more things my lover. But, there is only one who can truly bring you fulfillment and meet your deepest needs. God wants to be your lover. He wants to seduce you to intimacy with him. Have you ever had a time with God as good as your most wildest sexual moment? if not, you are not alone. Search for this type intimacy with God with all your body and soul. I have found that a true love affair with God spreads to all others in my life.

Just a few thoughts. I have many more. I hope you find a mentor in your life. You are one of the few young men that seem to REALLY want it.

Randy