First, and let’s cover this right up front, I really don’t think most “gurus” care whether they impress me or not!
So, once again, let’s get that out of the way right up front. I harbor absolutely no illusions, or delusions, concerning that point…this point…whatever! Not only that, they don’t know who the heck John Zajaros is! Nor do most of them care to…they are all about the bucks!
Don’t believe me?
Try to get one on the phone some time!
I have actually had a conversation with exactly one Guru in the past year, one!
I will explain the difference between “gurus” and a Guru below.
Interestingly, I have spent hundreds, perhaps thousands, with “gurus” on their various programs, yet I have had actual contact with one! The amazing thing about that? The one GURU who did respond? I am not even a client of his!
He’s just a great guy, and a Guru! His name? James Schramko, a very cool Aussie and a genuine Guru!
If an individual is a modern-day “guru,” it won’t matter one way or the other what I think. You see, most are all about the money! A true Guru might be a bit more introspective, look within himself (I will use him generically without intending to show gender bias one way or the other) in an attempt to discover the source of the negativity, but ultimately they would probably attribute my mindset to the human condition and attempt to win me over…or at least understand me!
In the end, the former could care less, unless it adversely affects their business and then you will see a definite reaction, not based on love or understanding but purely on selfish, self-interest! The latter, while caring, understands the human condition and seeks to grow from the knowledge and the experience, perhaps even reaching out to guide, mentor, and advise (see definitions).
However, the fact is most “gurus” aren’t really “gurus” at all…they are simply savvy marketers who have adopted a particular label in order to promote themselves, their “brand,” and enhance their status…both as individuals and as marketers! The issue of whether or not someone is a legitimate Guru shouldn’t be left to the individual but should be a designation bestowed upon him by the people he touches, the lives he affects on a daily basis. The people he instructs, mentors, guides, and advises!
Here’s a question for you:
Do you think the Dalai Lama has ever referred to himself as a Guru?
Here’s another one:
Do you think Gandhi ever called himself a Guru?
In both instances, I believe we can answer with an emphatic:
“No!”
Interestingly, in the Internet marketing world the appellation of “guru” is conferred upon many whose sole claim to fame is the ability to make money! If that’s the case, I know of a few Columbians who are great at making money…they must be “gurus!”
Anyway, I thought I would examine the word itself and see where it takes us. Let’s look at Wikipedia:
“A guru…is one who is regarded as having great knowledge, wisdom and authority in a certain area, and who uses it to guide others (teacher). As a principle for the development of consciousness it leads the creation from unreality to reality, from the darkness of ignorance to the light of knowledge. In its purest form this principle manifests on earth as a divine incarnation (saint), a person with supreme knowledge about God and all creation.” [italics added]
Is that even close?
So, let’s look at another “authority” site, Dictionary.com:
• A preceptor giving personal religious instruction.
• An intellectual or spiritual guide or leader.
Now here’s the western influence in the Dictionary.com definition:
• Any person who counsels or advises; mentor: The elder senator was her political guru.
• A leader in a particular field: the city’s cultural gurus.
Close, and number four gets right up against it…but still no cigar!
“A leader in a particular field.”
Yet this is a relatively new addition to the definition and is explained, at least in part, at Answers.com:
“An advisor or teacher. The term, which comes from Hinduism, refers to a spiritual teacher. “Gu” means darkness, and “ru” means light; thus a guru turns ignorance into enlightenment.”
Now here is where the corruption of the term comes in…to suit a very different end:
“In the west, the term has been interpreted quite often as simply an expert in a field whether that person helps you learn or understand anything or not.” [italics added]
Aha!
There it is! The modernization of the word, the corruption to be more accurate, in order to use the appellation for one’s own benefit, a marketing ploy in this instance, used to confer status as an expert in the field, any field. Again, and with emphasis added:
“In the west, the term has been interpreted quite often as simply an expert in a field whether that person helps you learn or understand anything or not.”
OK!
If we apply the original definition, the original designation and all the status that comes with it, is there a marketing expert out there who fills the bill, the original designation of a Guru (capital “G”), a true mentor, teacher, guide, trusted counselor and adviser?
I wonder? Overall, I would have to say no! Perhaps one!
Think about this!
I recently heard an individual give a seminar on marketing and he spoke of paying another “guru” $25,000 for a day’s advice! He also confided recently that he pays another “guru” $20,000 for advice 3 times a year! That’s $45,000 for 4 days worth of advice!
That has nothing to do with mentoring…that’s BUSINESS!
How in the world does that come anywhere even close to the original definition of what a Guru is? What a mentor is? What a trusted counselor and adviser is? That is simply a business arrangement between a client and the purveyor of information!
So, if being proficient at making money makes one a “guru,” so be it! However, it doesn’t make one a Guru! And to my way of thinking, there is a huge difference between “guru,” small “g,” and Guru…no quotes and a big “G!” Just as there is a HUGE difference between thinking small and thinking BIG, between seeing a picture and seeing the BIG picture!
So what’s the point? Other than a Dennis Miller-esque rant?
Well, I guess it’s that you get what you pay for!
In this case, if the driving force in your life is money, you will have few friends and fewer people who look to you as a valued resource, a mentor and advisor.
Meaning?
Well, if every time I help someone I have my cash registering ringing, if every time I coach someone I expect to be paid, people will value me and our relationship accordingly. Meaning? It will be nothing more than a financial transaction between a marketer and his client!
However, if I put forth real effort for others with little or no expectation of immediate reward, the efforts put forth will multiply ten-fold, at least, and I will establish myself as a Guru, a valued coach and adviser, a friend! Not by MY definition but by the definition of others, the people I help as I progress through life.
Life is a process, a progression, a journey, and along the way we touch many people, we plant seeds as we grow, learn, and prosper. But prosperity is not only about financial riches, it’s about the intangibles: the hugs, the kisses, the handshakes, and the gratitude we receive for all the good we do.
If it is all about money?
Sam Walton’s last words say it better than I ever could:
“I blew it!”
One of the richest men in the country, perhaps on the planet, and he “blew it!” You have a choice, you can assign the appellation little “g” or you can earn the designation big G! How will you view the journey that is your life as it comes to a close? How many people will be sorry to see you leave this life? How many people will say they will miss you, that you touched their lives? How many people will be grateful for the help you gave them,
knowing it was about more than a $997 upsell! I wonder!
John Zajaros
216-712-6526
Skype: johnzajaros1
JohnZ@TheQuestRevealed.com
excellencepaidforward@gmail.com (personal email)
