Building Skills on a Budget with a Daily Guru

I’m still shocked by how much I don’t know. 

More shocking still, is how much I don’t know about how much I don’t know. 

There’s always something new to learn. Especially, it seems, as a small business owner. 

It feels impossible to know everything you need to know about running an enterprise. And, without a budget to hire someone else, it’s on us to figure it out. 

Everything is Figureoutable (Marie Forleo)

When I have something I need to figure out, I have a process:

• First, I buy a book or six on the subject. 
• Second, I buy a course or six on the subject (sometimes, I actually take the courses). 
• Third, if I need more, I hire a coach/teacher/mentor on the subject. 

But I didn’t always have a budget that supported that process. 

As I was pulling my head out of my rear-end, learning habits, routines, mindset, and practical business applications, I had zero fundage for luxuries like education. I couldn’t even pay my rent (although that didn’t always stop me from buying a course). 

But I still had to learn. I still had to gain the skills, insights, and perspective to break out of my current cycles of the time. 

And that’s when I came up with my Daily Guru as part of my morning routine. Everyday, I would spend 15 minutes listening or watching someone who had the results I wanted (or appeared to have the results I wanted), or simply great teachers of a particular subject.

The Daily Guru

I picked seven “gurus” or subjects at a time, one for each day of the week, and blocked out my 15-minute window to receive their wisdom via FREE YouTube content. Podcasts are also great for this these days! 

Here’s a few examples from my own calendar 8-10 years ago of who and what I included in my Daily Gurus regiment:

• Money/Abundant mindset: Bob Proctor
• Emotional Intelligence and Vulnerability: Brene Brown
• Leadership, Speaking, and Inspiration: John Maxwell
• The Success Principles: Jack Canfield
• Living in the Present Moment: Eckhart Tolle
• Living an Inspired Life: Dr. Wayne Dyer
• Inspiration: Brendon Burchard

Back in my day (already sounding like my grandmother), we didn’t have all the amazing notary teachers, courses, and resources available to you now. Perhaps your Daily Gurus will look differently as you build some practical notary, networking, and marketing skills. 

Now that I think about it, NBB has become the perfect resource for filling your Daily Guru pipeline:

• Need practical notary skill development? Laura Biewer
• Want to cultivate deeper relationships? Jen Neitzel
• Boost your online visibility? Jim Allen or Tyler Botsford
• Optimize LinkedIn? Sandra Long
• Learn about apostilles? Judi Lawrence
• Specialize in reverse mortgages? Nina Penny
• Activate the notary community in your state? Matt Miller

You get to decide what’s important to you. Balance your Daily Gurus between information (skill development) and inspiration. You've got hard work ahead, and sometimes a little nudge goes a long way. And everything you do to grow yourself, grows your business. 

If you struggle against the word “guru,” change it to something that doesn’t bother you. There’s something to learn from everyone so let go of finding the “perfect” teacher. They don’t exist. They’re all flawed human beings. Take the wisdom that serves you and leave the rest. 

There will come a time when one of your gurus no longer serves you. You’ll know it, almost instantly, even if you resist it at first. My advice is to let them go in love and light. It makes room for someone else that will teach you what’s next. 

There’s always a next. 

My Daily Gurus look a lot different these days. They seem more elusive than before. I’m constantly asking, “Who’s my next guru? What do I need to learn?” Inevitably the answer comes, usually in the form of a person or experience, but it always comes.