Have,You,Hugged,Your,amp,#39,G DIY Have You Hugged Your 'Guru' Today?

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Strange title for an article, don't you think? But it did getyour attention, and I want to hold it because I have somethingvery important I want you to read, so please let me explain*why* I chose this title.I dislike the term 'guru', at least when it's applied loosely,as it is on the Internet. I've never thought of, or calledmyself a guru, but I'm referred to one pretty often. So are alot of other Internet marketers.My article is not about 'gurudom' though. It's about theresponsibility to those people who hold us in high enoughregard to think of us as a guru, or an expert, or justsomeone who can help them along their way, and ask for ourhelp.Allow me to share a thought from my upcoming print book:"Our mission in life is to better the lives of others.In doing so, our life is made better."If you find yourself in the position where people are askingfor your expertise and help, there can only be 2 reasons forit:1. You are the Real McCoy and people trust that you can offer genuine and helpful advice and assistance, or2. You've done a pretty good job of pretending to be the above.Hopefully you fall into the category of the former.Now, you really have only 2 choices when someone does ask foryour help:1. You can make an honest effort to lend a helping hand, or2. You can ignore their request, or, perhaps try to sell them the latest, greatest product that will solve their problem and make some money in the process.This article would not exist had it not been for a ratherlengthy and heartwrenching email I received the other day. Itcame from a customer of mine, now a friend, who has beenstruggling the past few months trying to make a go of it inthe Internet marketing arena. Very tough assignment as anewcomer in this post-September 11 economy especially in lightof all the marketing products flooding cyberspace these days!What was remarkable about his take on things was his statementthat of all the "guru's" that he had purchased products from(most of which promised additional help after the purchase),and had requested some simple guidance from, I was the*only* person who ever responded. More than a couple of timesas I recall. What a sad state of affairs in my opinion!See, I made a vow when I began to notice (uncomfortably) thisguru phenomena that I would do my very best to help anyone whofelt I could help, and asked me for it. To me anyway, it's notonly an honor and a priviledge, but a duty. To this day, Ibelieve I have lived up to that pledge (and much to the once-in-a-while dismay of my family members who understandablygrumble about the endless hours I spend answering email:-)As I did with my former pre-Internet mainstreet business, myinner heart tells me this IS the way that I need to continueto do business online. Why?I can tell you in no uncertain terms that this philosophy islargely responsible for the success I have enjoyed for thepast 4 years, while so many are struggling or have failed onthe Internet. You must have come across countless successstories of *real* gurus who have achieved massive fame and/orwealth from simply focusing on the needs of, and helping,others.Giving=Receiving is really one of the few great laws of thiswonderful universe!Having said that, there is usually a yang for every yin,right? And here's that side of things.*Some* people will try to abuse your giving spirit and attemptto dominate your time, as if it was their God-given *right*.You must be able to recognize when you're being takenadvantage of and then politely say, like I do, something like"the clock will have to start ticking now and my consultingrate is $495.00 per hour.":-) You'll see how quickly theconversation stops!There will be others who are simply "takers", that will noteven acknowledge, let alone thank you for your help. Weeksago, I spent over an hour (on a Sunday nonetheless) doing someresearch and responding in-depth to a very difficult question(this should really have been a consultation!) that was posedto me by someone in seemingly dire circumstances. Sent theemail twice (again a week later/neither bounced) because Isensed the importance of a resolution for this person anddidn't want to take the chance they overlooked it. Not a hi,hello or how are you from them since.I've never expected any kind of "award" for efforts like this,but a nice email from someone stating they are appreciative ofyour efforts is always a nice little *reward*. Sometimes thereward can come in the form of a high quality fruit-and-truffles package that arrives every Christmas without failfrom a wonderful couple I helped just one time a few year ago!But neither thankless or intrusive people should ever have thepower to make us stop helping those who need our help. It goeswith the territory of being in a position to influence andeven lead, a position quite frankly, we should be verygrateful to be in.My advice is simple, but not always easy to follow through on.If you find yourself in the fortunate position where peoplethink enough about what you have to offer that they will askyou for help, then make the same vow I did. Help them. Everylast one of them!In cyber-terms, Sell a MEG but Give a GIG. It will surely helpothers, but in the end, it will help YOU even more!