About 3 years ago I thought I found my business guru, the person who was going to help me turn all my gifts and talents into the “6 figure business” I desired, while only working a few hours a day. She had a system. All I had to do was believe in myself enough to pay her money and follow her advice. If I believed and followed well enough, I too could have a beach house, a Tesla, and all the vacation time I wanted.
I had a feeling in my stomach that wanted me to turn back, but I was in a bit of a low and needed an external ego boost so I dismissed my inner wisdom. I overrode my inner guru and forced myself to buy-in and to and believe in her glitz and glamour, despite everything my inner wisdom was telling me.
What a powerful lesson! A kick to the old ego. A wakeup call that literally caused me to revisit where I find my guru.
Have you ever attached to someone you found inspirational, charismatic, gifted, insightful? A person who embodied characteristics or experiences you felt you were missing? A person who by association can take you places you didn’t even know you could go? Or perhaps, like the story above, a person to fill a void that you aren’t patient or knowledgeable enough to fill yourself?
For our purposes today I am defining guru as any of the above. I’m defining guru as someone who we align with and follow because they offer us knowledge and growth beyond that what we believe we can access on our own. They offer us an opportunity to make sense of this human experience. They provide a pathway to help us acquire what we are most seeking and needing, be it peace, joy, abundance, improvement, bliss, love, direction—you name it.
I’ve experienced many positive and life-altering guru’s in my lifetime. These gurus range from spiritual, personal, or professional—some I know personally and some I don’t. At the top of my list is the Dalai Lama. When the Dalai Lama came to Boston to speak several years ago, I didn’t know much about him or his teachings, but tickets were $5, and a friend had extras so I went. He was speaking in one of the smaller, older theaters. The setting was intimate. A Tibetan dance troupe performed while we waited for the Dalai Lama to arrive. They left the stage and the audience chatted and waited. Then the strangest thing happened. You could sense an energy come over the crowd. Everyone silenced with no external prompting. The energy kept building. I could feel it on the back of my neck and in my heart.
Without announcement or fanfare a small, crimson-robed man walked to the center of the stage, extended his arms, palms up with head bowed slightly and then looked up at the crowd with the biggest, most beautiful smile I’ve ever seen. His Holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama spoke for over an hour in the most animated and beautiful flow of his native tongue. I understood nothing he said but was transfixed and completely aligned with his message. His body language, his dancing eyes, his raised eyebrows and wide smile were the external communicators. And his energy connected squarely with my heart and the hearts of the other approximately 300 people present. He left the stage as he arrived—with a simple bow, smile, and wave.
Each of us who attended together felt as though he was speaking directly to us alone. It felt as if he knew I was there and had shown up specifically to connect with my heart.
I didn’t become a big disciple or student of the Dalia Lama. I didn’t change my religion or go to India to study. However his way is a constant influence in my life. His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama settled in a space in my heart and consciousness. A guide. A guru.
There are also business gurus that I follow and want to read every new thing they write, like Patrick Lencioni. Or self help guru’s like Brene Brown or the late Wayne Dyer. And then there are brain-based researchers like Daniel Goleman. And of course the gurus closer to home such as Kris Beal who introduced me to the practice of yoga. Or Mary Kay Stenger who shined a beautiful light on my pathway to trusting myself.
As I come closer to my 6th decade of doing this human being thing, I find my need to seek out and align with external gurus has lessened. I’ve discovered that it is frequently in the releasing of the guru attachment that I experience the most growth. That is the moment where I take the wisdom, the lesson, and the teaching then internalize what feels authentic, swirl it in with my values, strengths, history, and personal choices. It is kind of like when you gently fold the chocolate chips into the cupcake batter. They never fully integrate but instead stand out like the bits of yummy goodness they are, making the core batter, which is quite good on its own, just a bit better.
In other words, I stand where I am today because I’ve come to the realization that my guru is no longer an external force. My most reliable guru is me, waiting right here, smack dab in the center of my core. And while I still love to explore externally to learn, grow, see what is happening and who is shaping the world, my compass, my guide, and my guru is within me.
If you’d like to start spending time uncovering and trusting your internal guru, I have an opportunity for you. I invite you to join a group of like-minded people who are also ready to begin accessing guidance and finding answers from within themselves.
In this 3-session tele-series called Finding Your Inner Guru, you will:
• Connect with a group of like-minded people.
• Experience a different approach to problem-solving.
• Find your unique pathway to ease.
• Clarify your strengths and begin to rely on them.
• Uncover your authentic play style and employ it as a tool for balance and wisdom.
• Challenge stories, myths, and labels that no longer serve you.
• Practice decision-making and problem-solving with ease and confidence.
• Be introduced to wisdom cards as tools for personal guidance.
You only need a phone line to participate. This intimate growth and learning opportunity starts in June 2017 for 3 sessions. And space is limited.
Tuesday, June 13 * (4:30 PM Pacific Time/7:30 PM Eastern Time)
Tuesday, June 20* (4:30 PM Pacific Time/7:30 PM Eastern Time)
Tuesday, June 27* (4:30 PM Pacific Time/7:30 PM Eastern Time)
As part of this program you will also receive a one-to-one spot coaching call with Beth (scheduled separately).
*All sessions will be recorded so you can listen again or make up a missed session.
Fee: $225 total includes 3 sessions, access to all recordings, 1:1 spot coaching session, materials, and assessments.
I’m really excited to engage with each of you. My promise to you is that during this process you will experience a shift in how you perceive yourself and your inner wisdom. You will leave with tools and support to begin on your pathway and connection to trusting your inner guru!
Originally posted on BethWonson.com
Have you had to work with that person who is too valuable to fire, but whose communication and leadership style continually makes others cringe and puts the company at risk? Beth Wonson’s unique combination of experience as a business expert, non-profit leader, 20 years consulting on team development, organizational change, and coaching leadership make her the go-to person for transforming personnel liabilities into personnel assets. “In my experience, no one truly wants to be the company bully, they just aren’t self-aware enough climb out of it. Their increasing isolation causes more and more drama within the organization. Human Resource staff feel powerless and over time, team members and colleagues choose to leave the organization. The remedy is simply to get this person the right coach. The coach who knows how to give them the hard feedback and will stand in the fire with them through the change process”. Wonson’s unique methodology combines brain-based research, experiential education and coaching to engage and empower individuals and teams to overcome perceived barriers and gain success.
Beth and her team work with businesses, non-profits and individuals across the United States.
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