He closed his eyes and turned the stone over in his hand three times.

He knew it had happened, because he heard slight movements around him that suggested frail bodies shifting their footing on the earthy, twig-strewn ground that marked the outer edge of the forest. He opened his eyes and looked around.

They were neither ghost nor truly flesh, he could see that. They resembled most closely the Riddle that had escaped from the diary so long ago, and he had been memory made nearly solid. Less substantial than living bodies, but much more than ghosts, they moved toward him. And on each face, there was the same loving smile.

-Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

A fresh perspective is oftentimes exactly what you need to solve a perplexing problem. However, that doesn’t mean you need to ask other people for help every time you encounter a roadblock. Even without the luxury of wands and broomsticks, we can all make use of the power of mental mentors.

A mental mentor is someone you know very well, whose character is one that you respect but not necessary admire. When you’re in need of a second opinion, simply ask yourself what your mental mentor would do. Believe it or not, it’s not that difficult to infer what someone will say assuming you’re very familiar with that person.

For a more engaging experience, you could try to imagine your mentor talking directly to you. If you’re good at it, this can amount to an extremely useful and surreal experience. Napoleon Hill was notorious for consulting with his mental mentors through his dreams.

It’s important to have a wide variety of mental mentors. You don’t want to limit yourself to people you like or agree with, as you want to have access to a broad array of viewpoints. Although you may find it difficult to connect with historical figures like Thomas Edison or Leonardo da Vinci, these are often the most useful people to have in your arsenal.