I’ve no Guru
Who I am today is shaped by the many experiences and knowledge I’ve gained along my journey. Looking back, I see a small-town boy with limited exposure, someone unfamiliar with many aspects of life. Yet, I’ve come a long way, not just in terms of academic knowledge but in understanding life itself.
I’ve always had a strong desire to learn. Whenever I’ve faced challenges, my instinct has been to adopt a solution-oriented mindset, eagerly seeking knowledge from various sources. This curiosity has driven me to gather insights from every corner of life, contributing to the person I am today.
In today’s world, we are bombarded with information all the time. People seem bombarded from morning to night with reels, shorts, ads, and Instagram posts. It feels like too much, especially with work, study, and daily tasks. Now, let’s think back to the Stone Age. Life was simpler then. People just aimed to survive. They only dealt with what nature offered and communicated with each other. But in the journey of survival and the desire to improve, we discovered things, leading us to where we are now — a time dominated by technology and social media.
In today’s busy world, it feels like everyone and everything is telling us what to do. We’re always consuming — ads prompt us to buy things, reels suggest travel, and shorts insist on how boring our lives are. It makes me wonder, are we really living consciously? Are we aware of what we’re taking in, how we spend our time, and how we live our lives?
When I reflect on the lives of Mahatma Gandhi, Narayan Murthy, and APJ Abdul Kalam, I ponder the paths they took to achieve their remarkable success. Emerging from small towns in India, what shaped them into the individuals they became? It was experiences, perhaps supplemented by books, but with minimal distractions. If, during that era, my dream was to become an athlete, I would have needed to find a trainer or a coaching place just to learn about the sport, not necessarily to practice it. Fast forward to today, here I am in a tier 3 town in India, absorbing insights from Huberman, Joe Rogan, Jim Kwik, David Goggins and many others. While I’ve met a certain number of people throughout my life, through various content forms, I’ve connected with countless individuals. While books have been a constant, the contemporary landscape offers an infinite array of topics through podcasts, blogs, and YouTube videos, covering various aspects of life.
Now, let’s talk about a man who has significantly influenced my life — Mahendra Singh Dhoni. As a cricket fan for as long as I can remember, the pivotal moment was in 2005 during the Ind vs Pak ODI in Visakhapatnam. A long-haired young man walked out at number 3, smashed Pakistani bowlers, and scored 148 runs. That day, he became my favorite player. His flamboyance and aggression were captivating, and I’ve been a fan for 19 years, witnessing his entire cricketing journey live. It’s been an incredible journey to experience as a fan. Once in an interview I was asked if I had any idols and I answered it’s MS Dhoni. But is he my guru? Do i follow everything he says or everything he does? No. I am a diehard fan and a admirer of MS Dhoni as a cricketer and as a human too. I have learned many values from him.
Drawing a connection, let’s talk about Warren Buffett and Elon Musk. These accomplished individuals, known for their remarkable success, credit a simple yet impactful habit — reading books. Buffett, the wise investor, spends about 80% of his day reading, considering it a key factor in his success. Similarly, Musk, the innovative entrepreneur, highlights how books have influenced his mindset and strategies.
Comparing these stories makes you think. If Buffett, a financial expert, can reach great heights through reading, and Musk, a tech pioneer, can create a space company by immersing himself in books, it shows the significant power of reading. It’s a joy to learn from these influential figures, realizing how literature profoundly shapes success. The eagerness to learn from any available resources holds immense potential.
In various areas of life, people often have spiritual gurus, mentors for careers, and coaches for sports, among other roles. However, this hasn’t been my path. Throughout my life, my zeal to learn and grow has led me to content and individuals (even if only briefly) who’ve guided me. About two years ago, I penned a blog sharing my experiences with different meditation practices. Since then, I’ve explored various forms of meditation and settled on some. While many find a spiritual guru and stick to their teachings, my journey has been different. Over the last four years, my spiritual exploration hasn’t been tied to a specific activity, person, or book. Instead, I’ve gleaned insights from a variety of sources.
In this aspect, I’ve listened to the perspectives of individuals like Sadhguru, BK Shivani, Gaur Gopal Das, Gauranga Das, Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche, and Osho. Trying different meditations available on YouTube, I’ve experimented with chanting Aum, Vipassana (learned thoroughly through Vipassana International Academy), Heartfulness meditation, Mindfulness meditation, and those offered by Headspace.
Amidst all this exploration, what I’ve discovered is that different kinds of meditations serve specific objectives. While I understand that regular practice can be challenging for many, meditation has been a game-changer for me. The three most impactful meditations for me have been Vipassana Meditation, Mindfulness meditation, and Relaxation meditation.
Sharing all this in my blog is to highlight that, for me, discovering what works involved a lot of exploration. As I’ve emphasized, I don’t have a guru. What I’ve observed is that many people shy away from exploration; they settle for what’s readily available, even in their pursuit of knowledge. In today’s world, with countless of voices accessible through a few clicks, my learning has no boundaries. While sticking to a particular approach is advisable, how would one know what truly resonates without exploration?
Learning from a specific person, event, or book is indeed a pleasure. However, why limit oneself to a narrow perspective? The entire universe is available for learning, and every moment offers something to discover if one is aware enough. I’ve met countless people, read extensively, listened to numerous podcasts, and mindfully reflected on past events to extract lessons. My approach has always been to absorb what fascinates me from this diverse array of experiences.
In my world, I have no guru. Everything I consume, everything this world presents to me, becomes my Guru — nature, the universe, people, stories — everything. No one entity holds the key to my growth; instead, it’s the amalgamation of experiences, knowledge, and an insatiable thirst for learning that propels me forward.
