The Guru Insidiousness
In anything, and especially right now with the surge of new age material, Gurus appear. Gurus are not necessarily bad. They say they have incredible information that can help us with out lives. As wonderful as we find them, as amazing as they might be, don't completely rely on any Guru's promises.
As my readers know, I have been investigating several law of attraction programs over the last year. Last June I went through Louise L Hay's "You Can Heal Your Life". I have now been in the Boundless Living Challenge for 11 months now. I took part in Bob Proctor's 10-week Intensive Coaching program. Also, during this time, I purchased the "Missing Secret" program from Joe Vitale and "The Secret Code of Success" by Noah St. John. There are also a few things I won't mention here, but may get their own post in the future.
Every one of these is considered a Guru in their area; but there is the problem - if you choose to believe in only one of them, and follow that one person's teachings ignorant of others, you are missing out on what they can not offer you. Nobody has all the answers, no matter what they will tell you. Louise Hay says the same thing in her book "You Can Heal Your Life".
I have now been working hard for the last 12 months on personal growth and self-improvement. So, where am I?
First lets talk about all the programs I have gotten involved in. Each one led to the other. Each one added new pieces of information to the knowledge I had already received. And while I suggest all of them, I suggest it with a large caution. Don't expect any of these programs to change your life. Only you can do that.
These programs have lots of great information, information you must take into your life and use. As you use their hints & tips, you will find growth in different areas.
So, again, where am I?
Well, I am definitely not the person I was a year ago, and yet, I am not yet the person I want to be.
I am very happy most of the time. (this is a large change from the past) But, the goal I set for myself last July (to earn more than $1,000/day) has so far eluded me. I have made major changes, including applying to and being admitted to Portland State University starting this Summer. I have put all the pieces of each of these programs into everything I do (and lets remember, I have been doing this with increasing ease and skill) and yet I still do not have the money I need to move or pay tuition.
The old me would have said "Its just me". The new me looks at everything and can hear all the words from the "gurus" in my head. I believe I can achieve all of these things, but I still think I am missing part of the pie.
So, here is my caution: All of the gurus (except Louise Hay) put a huge amount of guilt into their writing, trying to make you think that if you haven't succeeded at their program, that it must be you fault. I don't think they mean to (at least I hope not), but its their way to make sure they aren't questioned. If someone questions their program, they can say "Just keep expecting the result" or "you just aren't working at it hard enough". Plus, this way they can also offer you a more expensive, more advanced program.
But here is my thought - I think (hope) that as long as we keep going in the right direction, at some point we will receive the piece that fits in with the others. Maybe some of us just have longer to come. They make it seem like you can make a change in a short period of time, but that is because they are at the point where it only takes 30-45 days to reach any new goal they have. They don't do it intentionally. They have just reached the point where they have "forgotten" what it is like to be on this end of the spectrum.
To conclude:
Bettering one's self is a goal we should all have, and I am all for getting any program to do that - just don't rely on any one of them over yourself. Don't allow their insistence that they have all the answers wave you away from your intention to keep growing.
Onward & Upward!
As my readers know, I have been investigating several law of attraction programs over the last year. Last June I went through Louise L Hay's "You Can Heal Your Life". I have now been in the Boundless Living Challenge for 11 months now. I took part in Bob Proctor's 10-week Intensive Coaching program. Also, during this time, I purchased the "Missing Secret" program from Joe Vitale and "The Secret Code of Success" by Noah St. John. There are also a few things I won't mention here, but may get their own post in the future.
Every one of these is considered a Guru in their area; but there is the problem - if you choose to believe in only one of them, and follow that one person's teachings ignorant of others, you are missing out on what they can not offer you. Nobody has all the answers, no matter what they will tell you. Louise Hay says the same thing in her book "You Can Heal Your Life".
I have now been working hard for the last 12 months on personal growth and self-improvement. So, where am I?
First lets talk about all the programs I have gotten involved in. Each one led to the other. Each one added new pieces of information to the knowledge I had already received. And while I suggest all of them, I suggest it with a large caution. Don't expect any of these programs to change your life. Only you can do that.
These programs have lots of great information, information you must take into your life and use. As you use their hints & tips, you will find growth in different areas.
So, again, where am I?
Well, I am definitely not the person I was a year ago, and yet, I am not yet the person I want to be.
I am very happy most of the time. (this is a large change from the past) But, the goal I set for myself last July (to earn more than $1,000/day) has so far eluded me. I have made major changes, including applying to and being admitted to Portland State University starting this Summer. I have put all the pieces of each of these programs into everything I do (and lets remember, I have been doing this with increasing ease and skill) and yet I still do not have the money I need to move or pay tuition.
The old me would have said "Its just me". The new me looks at everything and can hear all the words from the "gurus" in my head. I believe I can achieve all of these things, but I still think I am missing part of the pie.
So, here is my caution: All of the gurus (except Louise Hay) put a huge amount of guilt into their writing, trying to make you think that if you haven't succeeded at their program, that it must be you fault. I don't think they mean to (at least I hope not), but its their way to make sure they aren't questioned. If someone questions their program, they can say "Just keep expecting the result" or "you just aren't working at it hard enough". Plus, this way they can also offer you a more expensive, more advanced program.
But here is my thought - I think (hope) that as long as we keep going in the right direction, at some point we will receive the piece that fits in with the others. Maybe some of us just have longer to come. They make it seem like you can make a change in a short period of time, but that is because they are at the point where it only takes 30-45 days to reach any new goal they have. They don't do it intentionally. They have just reached the point where they have "forgotten" what it is like to be on this end of the spectrum.
To conclude:
Bettering one's self is a goal we should all have, and I am all for getting any program to do that - just don't rely on any one of them over yourself. Don't allow their insistence that they have all the answers wave you away from your intention to keep growing.
- Take everything they say with a grain of salt.
- Use what works for you
- When you have gotten used to the new you, find a new program to take you to the next level.
Onward & Upward!
As one of the authors you mentioned in your post, I appreciate the mention.
ReplyDeleteThe funny thing is that a big portion of my book is dedicated to exactly the point you're making - that the old-school "gurus" often told us to keep working hard when they hadn't given us the tools to do the job.
It's like trying to put a nail into a wall using a chainsaw. Maybe a small percentage of people can do it - but not most of us.
That's why I agree, it's important to find your own voice and not let anyone else tell you what "success" is or should mean to you.
Good luck and continued success,
~Noah
http://iAfform.com
Hi Noah,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment. I have always loved your chainsaw reference. Its a great way to describe what happens so often.