A saying that was floating around in personal development circles a while back was “If you know 10% more than the average person you are an expert”. I can safely say I never subscribed to that one!

This morning one of my lovely, local coffee baristas, handed me my cuppa and asked me what else I do. It’s a long list…I kinda got started learning about wellness and spirituality, and never stopped. I’ve been teaching and practicing in various forms since I was 17 years old. I’m 47 now, so that’s over 30 years!

Sometimes, I forget how much I know, and other times I feel like there is still so much to learn. I feel it is true to say that my skills are broad and my experience is deep. That my knowledge is vast, and the entirety of my experience has developed deep wisdom and with that has, over the years, brought about many insights.

Knowledge, wisdom and insight are different.

Knowledge is the accumulation of facts and data. This has never been easier than in the modern world, with access only ever a click away on the super internet highway. It’s not hard to seem informed and knowledgeable online. If you have a good memory, you can even freely appear to understand a whole field of information, when in fact you’ve only had a thin slice of the pie…and you’ve not even really digested that yet!

I was reminded today of a quote by Carl Jung, on a post by philosopher Jason Silva, ‘Beware of unearned wisdom.’

This is such a pertinent message to share in this era of self-appointed gurudom. With no training, no apprenticeship, no study, and no personal experience…anyone can set themselves up to ‘appear’ like an expert and excite you with design and marketing, and entice you with fancy linguistics, false promises and unrealistic guarantees. They can dazzle you with data that they quite simply copied, cut and pasted from someone else who did the same, and none of it might be backed up with any real understanding.

They have no application, no experience…and no wisdom.

In the words of Henry Rollins, ‘Knowledge without mileage means nothing to me.’

Or, as someone quoted on Silva’s post, ‘Knowledge without mileage is bullshit.’

It’s true…knowledge without understanding though application and experience is just a bunch of facts. It’s like having a cool library of books without reading further than the first chapter or index, or without even reading a single whole book at all. You might have all the titles committed to memory and a general gist of the content. It looks good on the outside, but you have no ability to apply that data to life in any meaningful way.

Wisdom comes though taking knowledge and applying it to life…trying it out, seeing where and how it fits in the scheme of your life and in the greater scheme of human experience. This takes time and practice. Do this consistently and long enough and you might just develop awareness of the underlying truth and insight into the true nature of things.

When it comes to yoga…wisdom and insight come through the discipline of consistent practice.

When we practice consistently, for a long time without interruption, and with sincere devotion, then the practice becomes firmly rooted within us and a solid foundation.

This…wisdom…qualifies us to teach.

Now, there’s nothing wrong with sharing information…nothing at all, when it comes from the position of personal experience. However, posing as an expert when you have no real depth of knowledge, application and understanding is, in my opinion, a travesty.

This applies to any field, any industry, and any situation. However, when it comes to the nature of our very being, the field of personal development or spirituality…the false guru is one who has not taken the time to do the work of looking at themself before they claim to be able to help others ‘find themselves’.

Diving into the waters of personal development trusting a guide who has no ability to swim themself is risky business indeed. Coaches, guides and gurus can unwittingly throw those who are relying on them into the deep end, with no means to rescue them.

You certainly have to dig a little deeper, do your due diligence, and choose wisely when you elect someone else to be your guide, counsellor, or teacher. In this fast moving world, where everything is seriously just a click away, it’s easy to buy into the hype and get swept up into something that has little or no substance. It’s a basic mistake to make. And…when it comes to a spiritual path in life…you have got to be ready. Don’t jump on that party bus if you are not prepared.

Looking into your ‘self’ is no mean feat. In yoga this practice is called Svadhyaya – self-study. It can be an uncomfortable and even downright painful process. Promises of an easy ride are usually made by those who have not done the work themselves. Short-cut techniques that guarantee to instantly create long and lasting change usually don’t.  That illusion is quite intoxicating.

All that being said…sometimes, doubts and uncertainties can hold us back from trying anything at all. If you want to gain insight into yourself, at some point you have got to take a leap of faith and if it doesn’t work out, you have got to pick yourself back up and find another way. This process in and of itself is part of the journey to wisdom of our very own being.

Now, Silva was actually sharing from another purveyor of human peak performance The Flow Genome Project  who warns us that ‘at no time in history, anywhere ever, have we had access to so much with so little preparation’. I completely agree with this observation.

And…I think that it’s a safe bet to take their advice; ‘Be careful out there…take Jung’s warning to heart: unearned wisdom, as enticing and seductive as it might be, can be more a curse than a blessing if we’re not sufficiently prepared.’

As preparation I can offer the following suggestions:

Be aware:  Awaken to what really is. Do your homework. Don’t blindly trust.

Acknowledge: Know your starting point. Accept things as they are and for what they are.

Take action: Ask yourself ‘If this is true, now what?’ ‘What is the next step?’ Take small steps if necessary, or large leaps if inspired.

This journey of self-discovery does not have to be complex, in fact the process is simple enough, yet this does not necessarily mean it is easy. Choose wisely those whom you entrust with your ‘self’… most of all learn to trust yourself.

Do the work. Do the work. Do the work. Earn the wisdom.