The Hidden Cost of Being the Guru: Ego In, Impact Out
Do you believe you need to establish yourself as the authority, expert, or guru in your field to succeed? Have you exhausted yourself trying to do that?
A collaborative contribution will catapult you further, faster, and with more purpose and power. When you get over the ego-driven desire to be the guru, you’ll find that your impact has a 10x result when you’re contributing with like-minded souls to a movement that solves a big problem.
Collaborative Authorship
Don’t think you’re a real writer if you’re published in an anthology? Is the author role reserved for those who want the spotlight?
Ask our award-winning collaborative book authors if they feel less-than-accomplished as a co-author than they do as a solo author. Believe me, they’re enjoying the spotlight of their contribution to something much bigger than what they alone could produce. They, together, are solving a problem with a much more expansive, inclusive, and complete approach than most solo authors.
Ever watch a magnificently produced Broadway musical? Being a part of that expert ensemble is a bigger gift than a one-man show. And even the one-man show succeeds in collaboration.
I want you to write your solo books, and I will publish them. In fact, that takes a village as well.
If you’re an author of your own book and feel alone in that big world, it’s time to understand that even as a solo author, you need a community to succeed. You also need continued collaborative support to promote your work.
Healthcare Experts
In my first days in physical therapy as a new practitioner, I never subscribed to the belief that any of my mentors (with their magical modality) was the answer to everyone’s problems. They would say they were the “guru” of this technique or such-and-such method. And what I would think every time I learned from them was something like:
I’d much rather have a bigger toolbox to be able to help my clients on their journey.
I learned, practiced, and preached what worked, period. Nobody was a guru, because no one person had all the answers. I took all the golden nuggets from all the wonderful experts, created my own bag of tricks, and then customized my approach with the people I served.
This was an incredible way to serve. In fact, people with the most complex, chronic symptoms sought me out as the one to help them.
Why was I so good at physical therapy? I didn’t subscribe to one thought process or modality. I didn’t identify with being the guru. I was much more interested in contributing to a client’s journey with awareness and empowering them to connect with their own inner wisdom.
I think the mark of a master or guru is knowing they aren’t the only one that can help someone, and that a person’s true transformational power lies within. That person may need several teachers in their life, and many tools. They (most importantly) need to learn to connect with their own body-mind guidance system and their inner healer.
One Topic, Many Voices Required
Once upon a time, I wrote the book How to Have Fun With Your Fear. I looked back on a lifetime of skills I developed to do just that and said, “It’s time to write my book!” It’s one of my favorites and definitely one of my signature books. I use this method (Brave Story Medicine™) in all my book coaching and publishing programs.
A few years later, someone said, “My idea of being brave isn’t the same as everyone else’s.”
It was the spark for a collaboration, and the book How to Be Brave, Self-Healing Tools for Love Warriors was born.
Gathering many healing arts professionals and expert friends to share stories of courage and tools for alchemizing the fear is a brilliant example of this idea. I loved leading this last book better than publishing on my own. This book will help more people.
Am I the guru on busting through fear? No. I mean, I’m pretty good at it, and there’s someone out there who needs to hear my story in the unique way only I can tell it. But there’s also someone out there who needs it delivered in a different way, with a different voice, and through different tools than I can.
I was born to create these expert collaborations, not only to publish these books, but to bring together the healers to create a bigger, badassier energy and a more powerful ripple. The world needs help, and when we grab hands, it’s not only more powerful, it’s more fun.
Wanna author your book and do it all yourself? Go for it. The world needs your story and message—it matters.
But don’t forget that you’ll still need your community to gather around to create a successful book and a powerful launch.
Wanna make a conscious contribution to a topic that is your expertise and join forces with other experts to deliver something that will help a lot more people? Come join in one of our expert collaborations—the best program on the planet.
It’s way more than a book. It’s your legacy.
Bonus Tip: Investing in a collaborative book project may just be one of the smartest, most lucrative and impactful investments you make for your business. Read about five ways to leverage your project HERE.
Explore our active book projects and opportunities HERE.
