If you want to succeed in life you should surround yourself with an amazing group of mentors.
But beware...
We often believe that our mentors can do know wrong. We put them on a pedestal and see them as perfect.
This is called "Guru Worship" and it can be seriously dangerous.
I promise you that Guru Worship will only end up hurting you in the long run and keep you stuck at a certain point of success in your life.
WHY?
Gurus are human too!
They just happen to have more experience and knowledge in the area of life you want to learn more about.
Here are 3 reasons why Guru Worship is dangerous:
- When you finally realize that your guru is not perfect you will be seriously let down. You will not only change your opinion of the guru, but you will begin to discredit everything they have ever taught you.
- You won't be open to any information outside their scope. It is very important to not be a lemming to your guru. Be open to as much information as possible and grow in as many ways as possible.
- You'll never surpass your guru or become capable of becoming the master of your own life. If a guru does their job, they WANT you to surpass them.
No matter how you see me, be it a guru or a mentor, above all, I want to be your "friend-tor."
I am not perfect and I want you to learn things outside of what I teach you. I want you to grow beyond measure and surpass me in what I am teaching you because that means I am doing my job.
Remember: the power of the message is more important than the power of the messenger.
We all have our own inner-power. A guru is just someone who has just been able to unlock it sooner than you have.
That's what I am here to help you do.
Sean
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This is a very good point for young adults, most of all....
But it's a good point for all, we need to remember that we need to hold peoples sin in our hands also, we also need to see them for what they are worth. Cause the people we love can sin, like we can if we don't see that sin. We all loved someone or something we shouldn't, but in the end a lot of us fail by not seeing their sin.
Very good point Sean I see many people also worshipping celebrities and singers etc instead of concentrating on themselves I hope you don’t mind it’s a little different put id just like to share something the same thing seems to apply with friends I used to have friends that I thought were my best friends only to find out latter they were not as good mates as I first thought they were again this is maybe why I have social problems and am lonely and find it hard to trust people.
Anyway you sound like a good friendtor
Sean,
I absolutely support you and honor you for your work. Keep it up. you are an inspiration to me.
Sincerely
Scott Goodknight
PS. I just added "stand on a stage with Sean" to my bucket list!
Excellent. I am reminded of a a couple of quotes from Jim Rohn and Robin Sharma that relate to your article.
You can choose to have mentors, but let your decision be the product of your own conclusion. You are more than what you appear to be. All the world's strength and power rests inside you. Find ways to explore the acres of diamond within you. Thanks
Well said Lalitha
What do you think of the return of Jesus Christ?
It could rescue many from possible 2012 disasters. many believe so.
I think that it is better to learn how to rescue ourselves rather than look for someone else to rescue us.
Hey, that's the geraetst! So with ll this brain power AWHFY?
The only disasters that will happen in 2012 are those that we manifest ourselves. I believe that 2012 will be a wonderful year of joy, happiness and success. Look inwards not outwards and you will see the light overcome the darkness that so many have chosen to embrace.
Sean you are so wise beyond your years. I would LOVE to sit and talk with you.
I agree that people easily slip into Guru Worship these days. I also believe that people, in our fast-paced-success-driven-must-have-everything-NOW society that we have created, that people are really empty inside. They are searching for some 'one' or some 'thing' to believe in. Which in turn makes them prone to worshipping another person instead of listening and learning from them and as you said moving on when the time comes.
Sean, thank you for your wisdom and thank you for putting your thoughts out there. I need a friend-tor like you.
Tons of hugs and miracles to you.
Love Brenda
Well said i think society really does push us to our limits leaving many of us confused frustrated and empty looking something or someone to help. I too would love to sit with Sean and speak to him and learn
If we are to believe in the prophecy of 2012 [that the world will come to an end on this date] then we will all soon meet our maker [or grim reaper depending on our beliefs] If the world does not end on 2012 we will all eventually die anyway.This is one guarantee we cannot escape from. If you live in the belief that there is hope after this life, you won't die in despair. If this means finding a guru [teacher or dispeller of darkness] to help you through this life,then so be it. Jesus, Mohamed, Chrishna and Bhudda were all Master Gurus.
I think that the world around you can look like a tornado, however when you see yourself as the calm in the storm... nothing can touch you.
Thought creates reality.
I think Sean supports finding "gurus" as teachers, but not to over idealize them, believing that they are "perfect", then becoming disappointed when you learn that they are not. Please correct me Sean, if I misunderstood you.
A journey of a thousand miles starts with the first step
A Hindu saint "Kabir" has said that God and Guru both are infront of me, I m confused whom to bow down first, but I will definately first bow down to my Guru who turned me towards God.
So, Dear friend Guru is not a matter of comparison. If u find that Guru is not perfect it clearly means your surrender is not perfect. Still you are expecting. Guru is the person whose one hand is caught by the existence and one by yourself. Guru is the bridge, Guru is the ladder, just step forward and reach on the high peaks.
if u r stucking by the ladder it is ur fault not the ladder's.
Hope I conveyed, what i wanted to be .
Good Luck.
Well nobody is perfect but you can find people who might be willing to help you
Maybe the spiritual life isn't for you.
To the small still voice of wisdom within us all. Love and Blessings
As in all fields there are a number of charlatans [even in the spiritual field] who taint the work of the true gurus.You must choose carefully and question there motives.Are they only doing it for money or material wealth, or some other ulterior motive? Spiritual teachings should be freely given,but if you want to give a donation it is normally voluntary.A genuine guru is essential to guide the young and inexperienced soul through the spiritual minefield [similar to parents guiding there young children through life] A genuine guru will choose the student.
Thus I don't want to be a guru.
I agree wholeheartedly with Sean's comment regarding guru worship. They too are spiritual people having human experiences like us, good and bad, but seem to have knowledge which we can use to elevate ourselves spiritually. Sometimes I have participated in forums and have noticed that people become so enraptured in the presence of this 'guru', they forget that they are simply meant to learn from that person and move on to other avenues of spirituality instead becoming a type of 'spiritual groupie'.
Sean's message is a refreshing wake-up call to remind all of us, the correct function of a spiritual mentor. Bravo Sean!!!
Well thanks Tanya...I'm glad you feel that way.
I like to be as transparent as humanly possible, I
...I am not a guru...
make mistakes in life, I get crabby, I make smells
and then blame them on the dog
I am merely a human.
Peace!
Sean
Dear Sean,
Thank you for your words of wisdom. Just read your message for the first time and it is great. I don't even have a mentor but I am happy I have found a friend-tor.
i have gone through a Guru and beyond. In a way its like passing through a door, and was essential for me, i feel, else i may have been moving in a maze for many more years. the problem arises when we feel so indebted to the door that we keep sitting there and do not move on....there may be more open fields and then more doors, who knows....its like passing levels.....a Guru is indispensible at a certain stage, and then best left with Gratitude....as is any other ladder for growth
Yes Sean,
thats exactly what we cannot stress enough, There is only one Guru for me, thats GOD.
And his wisdom is not only for me but for any of us alike. Its in the air, ready for us to grasp:-)
Dear Sean:
Well, didn't you take the fun of worship away from us! Jocularity aside, I have had the wonderful experience of having been a student and friend of a master (pianist), and all those tender issues surfaced and because of his scope of personality he was able to tutor me through the brambles of learning and loving. Thank you for being a friend-tor for me. Peter
Thank you Sean for sharing this wonderful wisdom, you are very inspiring. I have not thought about surpassing my role models, mentors, and friendtors.....until now!
The message is essential, the messenger is irrelevant.
Wasn't it Bhudda himself who said: Don't take my word for it[Teachings] Find out for yourself.Learn to still the mind through deep meditation, and the true guru [the still small voice of eternal wisdom] from within will awaken you to the truth.
I was at Engage Today 2009 and I had the great honor of receiving one of your precious balanced hugs. Wow!
I really appreciate reading about this topic having just come from an event where one could get gurued out. Realizing that we are all human and therefore prone to ego issues is reassuring and I for one am focusing on the fantastic information and inspiration I received there to move forward in our businesses with a view to the cause behind what we are doing. Thanks so much for what you do.
What a wonderful term you have coined, it would be an honor to have you as a friend-tor.
May we all have the peace of the Dalai Lama and the success of Richard Branson.
Love it, bro.
You rock.
-bri
So true! Nice to see a humble and honest personal growth teacher.
I learned a while ago that if I feel uncomfortable around someone who seems to have it all, it's because there's something they are lying about, to themselves and others. Before I realized this I would look up to them, feel less than, etc.
On the other hand, when in the presence of someone who has tremendous success in most areas of their lives and they are true to themselves and others, I feel comfortable and equal to them....
So, now I go with my gut feeling about someone. AND I've worked on my own issues about feeling worthy to be around 'successful' people.
Now that I have SEEN Sean speak, and met him as a new friend, and read half of his book on a plane on the way home from meeting him, I need to say "HE IS THE REAL DEAL". That being said, only someone that is this real would admit to making mistakes.
I agree with what Sean has said- I have followed several coaches and mentors over the past few years and it is often only when we learn from others do we question the validity of the first. This is a great piece of advice to keep in mind as we approach or evaluate a new coach. Questions about their current beliefs might help us to pick someone that is aligned in our direction.
I have learned that when a person (mentor or guru) is placed on a pedestal, and the "student" slips from the teachings, this "student" feels he or she failed in some way. I have witnessed people give up after slipping once or twice, because they feel unworthy to the mentor or guru. We must remember that experience is just as much a teacher as is another human being, and slipping up is just another opportunity to learn.
Thanks for your presence, Sean.
When the student is ready, the Master will appear [from within]
Hi Sean, I think this is a worthwhile message. Many modern 'gurus' in the western world project a marketed image of seeming perfection to hook students in. This method relies on the human being's propensity to judge by what is presented, especially using our senses of sight and sound. Intuition may be a more reliable guide to the value of a modern guru. Thanks.
I was born christian and been taught christian way of life and end up a slave of the religion. Self growth was nil and only live and die for Jesus, which ultimately ended up being a slave. I left Jesus and become open and found a new wide whole world around me, with radiating love and knowledge coming from all directions to me. Now I find myself to be a new person- the self. Scripture also says beleive in yourself and you can do wonders I now beleive in myself in myself and found the world new around me.
Thats amazing thx for sharing
Even i have tried Christianity & it just doesnt seem to work for me!!
I am more at peace out of it rather than being a Christian...
Jimmy I am sorry to hear you haven't found Christianity very helpful. I can understand. I am afraid most of us have just 'head' Christianity and that is little consolation in the tough times. Jimmy I have searched and struggled too for a long time but now I have discovered a way to be inside the words of prayer. I can say Our Father and let the energy of these words with the very best of what I desire flow through me and nourish my spirit. I have discovered Jesus is a real friend and not just a mythical or historical figure. Jesus is an everyday friend because I visualize him and see him and hear him and allow the love flow from him to me especially when I feel not so loving or loved and it nourishes my spirit and cheers me up. Look up a website called http://www.emotrance.com and you will find there something that may help you. I ask God the Father to encircle you with Jesus Love and I ask Him to breathe the Holy Spirit into your whole being that you may be encouraged and become aware that you are deeply loved
Dear Sean
In many instances i am sure you are correct, but in countries other than ours there are traditions that are firmly founded on not only the teachings of the Guru, but also the direct transmission of spiritual energy and G-dly connections, that the Guru develops or is blessed with, as a part of his own path. He has the responsibility to pass what is best in him, including training to do the same, on to his/her chela/aspirant. The Guru usually develops as a result of having been trained by HIS/HER Guru for many years. There are now even sects in America that present authentic guru connection. In the Tibetan Buddhist tradition one is usually advised to carefully choose, over the course of at least 12 years, to figure out which of his teachers is his true "Root Guru".....it is not a task that should be taken lightly, obviously!
The Guru is not worshipped as his or herself, but an off-shoot of the source of the Universe incarnate and a direct connection back to that. Unfortunately there are a zillion phonies claiming to be such, but the authentic ones are still out there, who can be fully trusted to do what they have been put here to do.
In as far as throwing the baby out with the bath water, try not to do so with the Gurus who are actually what their title represents. we have become too casual in how we use this term over the years.
I also believe though, from my own experience, that we not only have the Guru within us, but also have access to all of the true ascended Gurus who live beyond this plane as well as the highest Guru in G-D!
Let me tell the real story about 'worshiping the guru'...
It's this... Separate the 'issues' from the 'personalities'... and deal with the issues, not the personalities...
And the only thing that a real teacher teaches ... is how you can teach yourself. No one, I repeat no one, can teach you what you need to know...it can't be taught....for it is knowledge that is only for you....knowledge of yourself.
Nezumi
That's what it's all about. Mentoring and getting mentored.
Be the best you are capable to be.
We are all here to better each other with our special gifts. Thanks for your "guru" warning message.
Hope to join you someday in your board room. Could I sit by your side?
jim
Jim "Makevery" Schatz
Free Throw Mastery
(Mentoring and getting mentored) i totatly agree
Sean, you are so right on with your widsdom regarding gurus. I do believe what yuo are saying. I listen to many gurus however I am wise enough to know that they are human and experience the valleys as well as the mountain experiences.
this is the first time I am listening to you...I hae seen your pictures yet this is the first time I have received info about you.
Looks like you are a wisdom figure and I will
continue looking for your info.
Wishing you well, and keep on making a difference !!!
Peace my new freind,
If only more people were this smart thx rita
Oh, you're so right. I see so many kissing the feet of Guru's on youtube, and it says to me that something is so wrong. I figure that if someone tells me what they know, that then I know what they know, plus what I know, so I should know more. Some people know two or three times more about something or you know twice as much as someone else and we can pass around information like that, so you can be adding a tremendous amount. But you grow past each one, eventually and have to move on not to get stuck. They always try to capture you, but I'm not into slavery. I'm trying to get out of the matrix, not get trapped into it. Churches and every group has cheese at the door, but you have to watch out for that wire thing that snaps down and wastes all your time, takes all your life. The Internet is so great for information and I only gather what's free or I'd be broke by now. Ha.
One thing I would like to say though, is that there are ever increasing levels of intuition and insights. It's not a pipe dream. You can go from glory to glory and you really have to, to deal with the complexities of the modern world. We are evolving and the evolution of the mind can take quantum leaps. I have been researching my great experiences with this phenomenon for about three years now, so I've found out a lot about hos it works. Science explains it in a nut shell by saying that the subconscious is a million times more powerful than the conscious mind. For instance it's a million times faster. Thats why you can see your whole life and feel the feelings in a second. In sports that's called being in the zone. Look it up under Emotional Intelligence in sports. The breakthroughs occurring in every field and by so many individuals is awesome. There is a map of reality in the mind, somewhere ,that seems totally outside the matrix from two levels in on. Sort of like the levels of heaven Paul must have been referring to in his writings.
I hope I encourage someone to check all the things out that the gurus and others are saying, plus Positive Psychology, Noetic science, the new biology and on and on, as it's well worth the effort.
You seem to have to go through you compassion center to get intuition to work, so it's up building and encouraging most of the way. You reach the level of compassion that we are going to need to handle the complexity of the negatives we have created. And it is going to continue to get more complex, but the good news is that the intuition can handle it easily. I feel sorry for those that don't even believe in psychology, let alone spirituality. Thanks for listening.
This is so accurate! It is so unfair to yourself and to your mentor to put them on that pedestal. Unfair to them because we doom them to fail. Unfair to you because you are so limited and when the mistrust sinks in you loose the valuable lessons they really had to teach you. Be careful to learn but respect their humanity and tolerant of their weakness.