If you’re on Brazen Careerist (which you should be) and read this post and scanned the comments section, you may have seen my comment where I mentioned something I call “Guru Fatigue.” So now I’m going to give you a little more detail about what that is and how you can combat it.
Guru Fatigue is not what happens when you’ve sat through repeated showings of Ghandi (which is quite good, by the way) or Mike Meyers’ The Love Guru (which is quite horrible, by the way), but is instead what happens when you exhaust yourself on the teachings of a particular person.
A guru can be anyone with an opinion you value. Many modern gurus that my friends and I have learned from in the past include Neil Strauss, Tim Ferriss, Robert Greene, Penelope Trunk, Guy Kawasaki, Warren Buffett, George Parker, Anthony Bourdain and many others (even Tucker Max – sigh). But the problem is that no matter who is talking, what they’re talking about, how much you enjoy what they have to say, or even why you’re reading – you will get bored.
It’s an unfortunate inevitability of life – people can only take so much of something before they’ve had enough. And there will come a point where you want to get some distance from your guru. And even if you take some time away, it won’t be the same when you come back. Yes, breaking up with your guru is a lot like breaking up with your significant other.
So how do you keep things fresh, ensuing a long and happy guru-student relationship? With three things: communication, diversity, and breaks.
Most gurus have some way for people to contact them, via Twitter, email, message boards, responding to blog posts and so on. Using these open channels of communication, you can create an open stream of contact with your guru, learning more from them than if you just read/watched/listened to their lessons.
Also, you should see other gurus. Diversity in the lessons you learn, and your teachers, will make you more informed and will give you a better grasp on the subject. Reading multiple job blogs, for example, will offer you different tips and insight into the employment process and how to get the job.
Also, you should take occasional breaks from your guru. As much as you might like to check their site daily for updates, or read their books sequentially, the content will still be there later. You can find time to put some of their lessons into practice or analyze what you’ve learned during this time. But you don’t need to force your guru into your routine.
It can be tough navigating your way through an activity or industry, and having solid gurus can help. But if you become too dependent on them, you might wind up unable to develop your own skills and become a guru in your own right.
