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Ooh, so you’re a (Technology, SEO, Marketing, Sales, Life, Motivational, Fitness, etc., etc. ad nauseum) (Guru, Expert, Wizard, Coach, Mentor, etc., etc. ad nauseum)? I’m honored to be humbled by your presence.
So, just how long did it take you to reach the pinnacle of your professional growth and attain stagnant mediocrity?
Harsh? Yes, but I’ll apologize a head of time for offending readers who are truly exceptional in skill at what they do and have earned professional respect.
Here’s the deal. Absolutely no disrespect is intended by my rant here but I hate the term “guru”, or any of the other self-righteous, windbag sounding titles people toss around online and in their internet profiles.
I’m no guru. Mind you, I’m damn good at what I do and I have earned respect for my skills. However, if I ever get to the point in my profession where I start calling myself a ‘guru’ then it’s time I find myself a new line of work.
To me, those terms I mention in the first sentence give the connotation of having no where to go professionally. No more to learn. Nothing left to improve. I truly hope to never reach that point.
I am a Professional, yes, but the position in my profession that I hope to achieve is Student, not Guru. If you have met your calling and you are in a profession that is truly what you are meant to do in life then you should never reach a point where you ‘know everything’. You should be a permanent student. Never stop learning. Never stop growing as a professional. Never stop pushing the boundaries of your skills and knowledge.
I personally am reminded daily of how much more there is in my profession to learn. Every successful achievement I get is tempered by some brain-damaged idiot mistake I make. I am painfully aware that there are literally thousands of individuals in my same line of work who are higher skilled than I am. There are people out there with huge ‘shadows’ to live under. People who make me look like some beginner. Examples of skill I try daily to reach. An organism that stops growing, stops changing, stops improving, dies.
I hope to never stop improving in both my life and my profession but I hope to never be to a point where I call myself a guru.
Now go burn those Tony Robbins CDs you’ve been listening to and get back to work.