Sunday, March 30, 2008

A Guru Or A Mentor ??

This post got me into a bit of thinking (gray cells put to work!). I am not sure weather I will be able to express myself clearly, nevertheless I will give it a shot. When I started of two years back on this treacherous road to trading, I was desperately looking for helping hands that would pull me out from the precipice I had fallen into. There were a few hands (the world is still a good place to be in!). What I found later was that among these hands there were some who genuinely extended support (what ever knowledge they could offer they did…God bless them). Yet the other variety wanted me to keep on holding to their hand (they wanted to me to subscribe to their newsletters and call services …the prize??? they promised The Garden Of Eden!!!).

There were a whole lot of Gurus that came by, and very few Mentors. A lil bit of thinking got me to this conclusion. You see Gurus seek Disciples (meek) and Mentors seek Character (leaders). A guru needs these disciples, and they need them in hoards (this is provided by flush of new uninformed entrants to the market everyday). In the case of a Mentor, it’s the other way around. He shuns the hoards, and seeks out a few pieces of uncut rough rocks. A Guru will always give you sermons on what’s wrong with your life whereas the Mentor will show you how to put your life right. A guru will provide you with a sense of calm (his services, which he makes sure that you cant do without). A Mentor on the other hand will take away your calm make you sweat and toil. A Guru will never let you leave him (you are his milking cow!!!). A Mentor will not let you to stick to him (he has made a gem out of that rough uncut rock… his work done…and now he goes ahead to seek more such rough rocks).

The road to successful trading is not a smooth one. The treacherous journey has consumed many a souls. It’s long and a tiring journey and many of us give up mid way and seek solace in the arms of a Guru. What we need is a Mentor who teaches us to conquer the road ahead.

Don’t give up… see what lays ahead!!!!!!

The choice is yours… you need a Guru or a Mentor??? While you still ponder on, I suggest you read what Alexander Elder has to say about Gurus here. As for me.., I will be tryin2find a mentor!!!

3 comments:

Sunil Saranjame said...

Manoj,

Good post on mentor vs guru! Here is one famous poem by Robert Frost -

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveller, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could.
To where it bent in the undergrowth,

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear,
Though as for that, the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I --
I took the one less travelled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Robert Frost

*****

ss

Sunil Saranjame said...

Manoj,

The poem is - The Road Not Taken

ss :)

Gangineni Dhananjhay said...

Hi Manoj,

The real mentor of mentors I came across is Dr Brett Steenbarger of traderfeed.blogspot.com. I have sharpened my market insight from Victor Niederhoffer of Dailyspeculations.I feel I am the ekalavya disciple of Victor and Brett