<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0" xmlns:itunes="http://www.itunes.com/dtds/podcast-1.0.dtd" xmlns:googleplay="http://www.google.com/schemas/play-podcasts/1.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[Not-So-Guru Playbook]]></title><description><![CDATA[A disciplined playbook for life and business — blending mindset, health, and entrepreneurship with time-tested wisdom, sharp insights, and a touch of humor to help you navigate the hustle with clarity, purpose, and resilience.]]></description><link>https://www.not-so-guru.com</link><image><url>https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8hz2!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F48bd6461-5645-49aa-80b0-ec59e5c73944_1024x1024.png</url><title>Not-So-Guru Playbook</title><link>https://www.not-so-guru.com</link></image><generator>Substack</generator><lastBuildDate>Thu, 16 Jul 2026 01:13:41 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://www.not-so-guru.com/feed" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><copyright><![CDATA[The Not-So-Guru. All Rights Reserved.]]></copyright><language><![CDATA[en]]></language><webMaster><![CDATA[notsoguru@substack.com]]></webMaster><itunes:owner><itunes:email><![CDATA[notsoguru@substack.com]]></itunes:email><itunes:name><![CDATA[Hillman Lentz]]></itunes:name></itunes:owner><itunes:author><![CDATA[Hillman Lentz]]></itunes:author><googleplay:owner><![CDATA[notsoguru@substack.com]]></googleplay:owner><googleplay:email><![CDATA[notsoguru@substack.com]]></googleplay:email><googleplay:author><![CDATA[Hillman Lentz]]></googleplay:author><itunes:block><![CDATA[Yes]]></itunes:block><item><title><![CDATA[Health Is Wealth]]></title><description><![CDATA[Your System Needs Stability, Not Spikes]]></description><link>https://www.not-so-guru.com/p/health-is-wealth-8f9</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.not-so-guru.com/p/health-is-wealth-8f9</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Hillman Lentz]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 15 Jul 2026 10:02:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/90e5f5cd-7344-47ee-ba37-e7bba1bdf6ec_500x500.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Your body doesn&#8217;t like chaos any more than your business does. Constant spikes in stress, inconsistent sleep, erratic eating&#8212;it all adds up, and none of it works in your favor.</p><p>For years, I treated my body like it could just &#8220;handle it.&#8221; Late nights, early mornings, random meals, high stress. I thought discipline meant pushing through. In reality, I was just creating instability.</p><p>Your system thrives on rhythm. Consistent sleep times. Predictable nutrition. Regular movement. These aren&#8217;t boring habits&#8212;they&#8217;re the foundation of sustainable performance.</p><p>Sleep, in particular, is where everything resets. But it doesn&#8217;t just happen because you decide to go to bed. You need to prepare for it. Wind down. Reduce stimulation. Let your body transition instead of forcing it to shut off.</p><p>And food matters more than most people think. When you&#8217;re constantly stressed, your body needs real fuel&#8212;not shortcuts. Quality protein, healthy fats, and enough intake to actually recover.</p><p><strong>The Takeaway</strong></p><p>Consistency beats intensity when it comes to long-term performance.</p><p><strong>Keep Moving Forward!</strong></p><p><em>Not-So-Guru</em></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.not-so-guru.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Not-So-Guru Playbook is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.not-so-guru.com/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share Not-So-Guru Playbook&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.not-so-guru.com/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share Not-So-Guru Playbook</span></a></p><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Insights & Epiphanies]]></title><description><![CDATA[It Was Never the Problem&#8212;It Was My Reaction]]></description><link>https://www.not-so-guru.com/p/insights-and-epiphanies-ddc</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.not-so-guru.com/p/insights-and-epiphanies-ddc</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Hillman Lentz]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 14 Jul 2026 10:00:47 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/c79a123d-c23d-46a9-8d60-ca09517bf113_500x500.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>You ever notice how the same situation can play out completely differently depending on how you handle it? That&#8217;s not coincidence&#8212;it&#8217;s control. Or lack of it.</p><p>There was a time when every unexpected change felt like friction. Something didn&#8217;t go as planned, and I&#8217;d immediately start questioning everything. The plan, the people, the timing&#8212;everything suddenly became a problem.</p><p>But over time, I started noticing a pattern. The issue itself wasn&#8217;t what caused the damage. It was my reaction to it. The frustration, the urgency, the unnecessary pressure&#8212;that&#8217;s what made things worse.</p><p>Once I stopped reacting emotionally, problems became&#8230; manageable. Not easy, not irrelevant&#8212;but clear. And clarity is what allows you to actually solve things.</p><p>The moment you detach from the emotional side of disruption, you gain control again. You stop fighting reality and start working with it.</p><p><strong>The Takeaway</strong></p><p>The situation matters less than how you respond to it.</p><p><strong>Keep Moving Forward!</strong></p><p><em>Not-So-Guru</em></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.not-so-guru.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Not-So-Guru Playbook is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.not-so-guru.com/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share Not-So-Guru Playbook&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.not-so-guru.com/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share Not-So-Guru Playbook</span></a></p><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Hustler’s Guide]]></title><description><![CDATA[Stop Making Everything a Big Deal]]></description><link>https://www.not-so-guru.com/p/the-hustlers-guide-2b6</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.not-so-guru.com/p/the-hustlers-guide-2b6</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Hillman Lentz]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 13 Jul 2026 10:02:05 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/a34a0d60-c344-4f22-968f-4f9fb6e4a5c3_500x500.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Let me save you a lot of wasted energy&#8212;most things aren&#8217;t as serious as you think they are. Deadlines shift. People screw up. Plans fall apart. That&#8217;s not drama&#8230; that&#8217;s business.</p><p>I used to react to every disruption like it was a five-alarm fire. Something changed, and suddenly everything felt urgent, chaotic, and personal. That mindset doesn&#8217;t make you effective&#8212;it makes you exhausted.</p><p>Adaptation is quiet. It&#8217;s not loud, emotional, or reactive. It&#8217;s simply recognizing what changed and adjusting without turning it into a story. No overthinking, no spiraling, no unnecessary meetings to &#8220;process&#8221; what already happened.</p><p>The best operators don&#8217;t resist change&#8212;they absorb it. They look at the situation, make a clean decision, and move. No theatrics. No need to prove how hard things are. Just forward motion.</p><p>If you want to build anything meaningful, you need to get comfortable with things not going your way. That&#8217;s not a setback&#8212;that&#8217;s the process.</p><p><strong>The Takeaway</strong></p><p>Adapt quickly, without adding emotion to the equation.</p><p><strong>Keep Moving Forward!</strong></p><p><em>Not-So-Guru</em></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.not-so-guru.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Not-So-Guru Playbook is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.not-so-guru.com/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share Not-So-Guru Playbook&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.not-so-guru.com/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share Not-So-Guru Playbook</span></a></p><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Quotes & Quick Thoughts]]></title><description><![CDATA[Control What You Can]]></description><link>https://www.not-so-guru.com/p/quotes-and-quick-thoughts-265</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.not-so-guru.com/p/quotes-and-quick-thoughts-265</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Hillman Lentz]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 10 Jul 2026 10:02:28 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/459148db-fa69-4422-a17d-75fd4ad0d55d_500x500.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Emotional control isn&#8217;t about becoming cold or detached&#8212;it&#8217;s about becoming effective. The world doesn&#8217;t slow down because you&#8217;re overwhelmed, and it doesn&#8217;t reward you for reacting poorly. It simply moves on.</p><p>The people who handle pressure best aren&#8217;t the ones who feel the least&#8212;they&#8217;re the ones who manage what they feel. That&#8217;s a learned skill, not a personality trait.</p><p><strong>&#8220;You have power over your mind&#8212;not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.&#8221; &#8212; </strong><em><strong>Marcus Aurelius</strong></em></p><p>Control starts internally. External chaos doesn&#8217;t disappear, but your reaction to it can.</p><p><strong>&#8220;Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response.&#8221; &#8212; </strong><em><strong>Viktor E. Frankl</strong></em></p><p>That space is everything. Most people never use it.</p><p><strong>&#8220;He who angers you conquers you.&#8221; &#8212; </strong><em><strong>Elizabeth Kenny</strong></em></p><p>If someone can control your emotions, they control your actions. That&#8217;s not a position you want to be in.</p><p><strong>The Not-So-Guru Quote of the Week</strong></p><p><strong>&#8220;If they can trigger you, they can steer you.&#8221; &#8212; </strong><em><strong>Not-So-Guru</strong></em></p><p>Stay steady. The moment you react emotionally, you&#8217;ve handed over control.</p><p><strong>The Takeaway</strong></p><p>Emotional control isn&#8217;t weakness&#8212;it&#8217;s leverage.</p><p><strong>Keep Moving Forward!</strong></p><p><em>Not-So-Guru</em></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.not-so-guru.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Not-So-Guru Playbook is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.not-so-guru.com/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share Not-So-Guru Playbook&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.not-so-guru.com/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share Not-So-Guru Playbook</span></a></p><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Mental Mastery]]></title><description><![CDATA[The Space Between Trigger & Response]]></description><link>https://www.not-so-guru.com/p/mental-mastery-f2b</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.not-so-guru.com/p/mental-mastery-f2b</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Hillman Lentz]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 09 Jul 2026 10:02:35 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/ae37f153-11fd-4126-a581-16d1bfad8eb1_500x500.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>There&#8217;s a small gap between what happens to you and how you respond. Most people don&#8217;t even realize it exists. They react instantly&#8212;emotion first, thought second. That gap? That&#8217;s where control lives.</p><p>Early on, I didn&#8217;t have that gap. Something happened, I reacted. Email, message, conversation&#8212;it didn&#8217;t matter. Immediate response. I thought that made me sharp. In reality, it made me reactive and inconsistent.</p><p>Building that space takes practice. It&#8217;s not natural at first. You have to catch yourself mid-reaction and pause. Sometimes that means saying nothing. Sometimes it means stepping away for a few minutes. Either way, you&#8217;re buying yourself time to think.</p><p>The goal isn&#8217;t to suppress emotion. It&#8217;s to separate emotion from decision-making. You can feel frustration, pressure, even anger&#8212;but you don&#8217;t have to act on it. That&#8217;s the difference between discipline and impulse.</p><p>Once you develop that space, everything changes. Your decisions improve. Your communication sharpens. And you stop creating unnecessary problems that come from reacting instead of thinking.</p><p><strong>The Takeaway</strong></p><p>Master the pause, and you&#8217;ll master your responses.</p><p><strong>Keep Moving Forward!</strong></p><p><em>Not-So-Guru</em></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.not-so-guru.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Not-So-Guru Playbook is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.not-so-guru.com/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share Not-So-Guru Playbook&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.not-so-guru.com/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share Not-So-Guru Playbook</span></a></p><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Health Is Wealth]]></title><description><![CDATA[Your Body Feels What You Refuse to Process]]></description><link>https://www.not-so-guru.com/p/health-is-wealth-267</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.not-so-guru.com/p/health-is-wealth-267</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Hillman Lentz]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 08 Jul 2026 10:01:47 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/82bc3f6f-e0e4-4872-be79-5937cf158afd_500x500.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Stress doesn&#8217;t just sit in your head&#8212;it shows up in your body. Tight shoulders, poor sleep, low energy, brain fog. For years, I ignored all of it. Thought I could outwork it, out-hustle it, out-ignore it. That strategy works&#8230; until it doesn&#8217;t.</p><p>When your nervous system is constantly activated, your body never really resets. Sleep becomes shallow. Recovery slows down. Energy drops even if you&#8217;re doing everything &#8220;right&#8221; on paper. You can eat clean, train hard, and still feel off because the system is overloaded.</p><p>One of the biggest shifts for me was realizing that recovery isn&#8217;t optional&#8212;it&#8217;s part of performance. Good sleep doesn&#8217;t happen by accident. It requires a wind-down. No screens. No stimulation. Give your body a signal that it&#8217;s safe to shut down.</p><p>Nutrition plays a role too. When you&#8217;re stressed, your body burns differently. You need quality fuel&#8212;real food, not quick fixes. Protein, healthy fats, and enough calories to support recovery, not just survival.</p><p>And don&#8217;t overlook simple movement. A walk, a swim, a stretch. You don&#8217;t always need intensity&#8212;you need consistency. The goal isn&#8217;t to crush yourself. It&#8217;s to regulate your system so you can show up strong again tomorrow.</p><p><strong>The Takeaway</strong></p><p>If you don&#8217;t manage stress, your body will do it for you&#8212;and you won&#8217;t like how it chooses to do it.</p><p><strong>Keep Moving Forward!</strong></p><p><em>Not-So-Guru</em></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.not-so-guru.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Not-So-Guru Playbook is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.not-so-guru.com/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share Not-So-Guru Playbook&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.not-so-guru.com/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share Not-So-Guru Playbook</span></a></p><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Insights & Epiphanies]]></title><description><![CDATA[The Moment I Realized I Was the Problem]]></description><link>https://www.not-so-guru.com/p/insights-and-epiphanies-479</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.not-so-guru.com/p/insights-and-epiphanies-479</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Hillman Lentz]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 07 Jul 2026 10:02:35 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/16e1159b-bf28-47f4-a679-b6dbf0617597_500x500.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>There&#8217;s a moment that hits you&#8212;usually not when things are going well&#8212;where you realize the chaos around you isn&#8217;t random. It&#8217;s connected. And more often than we like to admit, it&#8217;s connected to us. That one stings a bit.</p><p>I used to think I was just surrounded by inefficiency. People not moving fast enough. Not thinking clearly enough. Not executing at the level I expected. And maybe some of that was true. But what I didn&#8217;t see was how my reactions were making everything worse.</p><p>Every frustrated tone, every impatient message, every emotional response&#8212;it created tension. And tension doesn&#8217;t improve performance. It slows people down, makes them second-guess, and eventually disconnect.</p><p>The realization was simple but uncomfortable: I wasn&#8217;t just dealing with pressure&#8230; I was amplifying it. My energy was becoming part of the problem instead of the solution.</p><p>When I started changing that&#8212;staying measured, speaking clearly, removing emotion from decisions&#8212;everything shifted. Not overnight, but noticeably. People performed better. Communication improved. And oddly enough, so did my own clarity.</p><p><strong>The Takeaway</strong></p><p>Sometimes the fix isn&#8217;t out there&#8212;it&#8217;s how you&#8217;re showing up.</p><p><strong>Keep Moving Forward!</strong></p><p><em>Not-So-Guru</em></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.not-so-guru.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Not-So-Guru Playbook is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.not-so-guru.com/?utm_source=substack&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_content=share&amp;action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share Not-So-Guru Playbook&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.not-so-guru.com/?utm_source=substack&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_content=share&amp;action=share"><span>Share Not-So-Guru Playbook</span></a></p><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Hustler’s Guide]]></title><description><![CDATA[Calm Is a Competitive Advantage]]></description><link>https://www.not-so-guru.com/p/the-hustlers-guide-14e</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.not-so-guru.com/p/the-hustlers-guide-14e</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Hillman Lentz]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 06 Jul 2026 10:01:50 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/45a7803e-e7e0-442d-9fd1-041fe36c5f5f_500x500.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Let me tell you something I learned the hard way&#8212;losing your cool doesn&#8217;t make you powerful, it makes you predictable. And predictable people get played. I used to think intensity meant raising my voice, pushing harder, reacting faster. Turns out, that&#8217;s just emotional leakage dressed up as leadership.</p><p>Pressure doesn&#8217;t create chaos. It reveals it. When things start breaking, deadlines stack up, and people aren&#8217;t delivering&#8212;that&#8217;s when your real operating system shows up. If that system is reactive, impatient, or ego-driven, you&#8217;re not leading&#8230; you&#8217;re spiraling with better vocabulary.</p><p>Here&#8217;s the shift: calm is not passive. Calm is controlled aggression. It&#8217;s knowing exactly what needs to be done and not letting noise pull you off track. The best operators don&#8217;t rush&#8212;they execute. They don&#8217;t snap&#8212;they decide. That&#8217;s a different level of discipline.</p><p>I used to fire off messages, make quick decisions, and &#8220;handle things immediately.&#8221; Sounds productive, right? It&#8217;s not. It&#8217;s emotional decision-making with a sense of urgency. The cost? Bad calls, strained relationships, and unnecessary messes to clean up later.</p><p>So slow it down. Not your work&#8212;your reactions. Pause before you respond. Think before you speak. The person who stays steady when everyone else is losing it? That&#8217;s the one people follow.</p><p><strong>The Takeaway</strong></p><p>Control your emotions, or they&#8217;ll control your outcomes.</p><p><strong>Keep Moving Forward!</strong></p><p><em>Not-So-Guru</em></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.not-so-guru.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Not-So-Guru Playbook is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.not-so-guru.com/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share Not-So-Guru Playbook&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.not-so-guru.com/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share Not-So-Guru Playbook</span></a></p><p></p><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Quotes & Quick Thoughts]]></title><description><![CDATA[Decide & Move]]></description><link>https://www.not-so-guru.com/p/quotes-and-quick-thoughts-0ca</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.not-so-guru.com/p/quotes-and-quick-thoughts-0ca</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Hillman Lentz]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 03 Jul 2026 10:01:13 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/1d28fbec-67b8-49dc-b182-8eccfffc8c99_500x500.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>At some point, thinking has to end. Not because thinking is bad&#8212;but because it has a limit. And beyond that limit, it becomes avoidance.</p><p>This week is about finishing the cycle. You&#8217;ve reduced options, managed fatigue, taken ownership, adjusted course&#8212;now it&#8217;s time to move.</p><p><strong>&#8220;Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage.&#8221; &#8212; </strong><em><strong>Dale Carnegie</strong></em></p><p>Confidence doesn&#8217;t come before action&#8212;it comes from it.</p><p><strong>&#8220;Do not wait; the time will never be &#8216;just right.&#8217;&#8221; &#8212; </strong><em><strong>Napoleon Hill</strong></em></p><p>Waiting for perfect timing is the easiest way to never start.</p><p><strong>&#8220;Action is the foundational key to all success.&#8221; &#8212; </strong><em><strong>Pablo Picasso</strong></em></p><p>Everything meaningful begins with movement&#8212;not intention.</p><p><strong>The Not-So-Guru Quote of the Week</strong></p><p><strong>&#8220;A good decision executed today beats a perfect one delayed indefinitely.&#8221; &#8212; </strong><em><strong>Not-So-Guru</strong></em></p><p>Progress belongs to those who move&#8212;not those who wait.</p><p><strong>The Takeaway</strong></p><p>Decide, act, and refine as you go.</p><p><strong>Keep Moving Forward!</strong></p><p><em>Not-So-Guru</em></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.not-so-guru.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Not-So-Guru Playbook is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.not-so-guru.com/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share Not-So-Guru Playbook&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.not-so-guru.com/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share Not-So-Guru Playbook</span></a></p><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Mental Mastery]]></title><description><![CDATA[Decisiveness Is a Skill]]></description><link>https://www.not-so-guru.com/p/mental-mastery-fde</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.not-so-guru.com/p/mental-mastery-fde</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Hillman Lentz]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 02 Jul 2026 10:00:28 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/c4f85aba-8c68-49ef-968d-34cbbf51dc15_500x500.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Some people think decisiveness is a personality trait&#8212;you either have it or you don&#8217;t. That&#8217;s not true. It&#8217;s a skill, and like any skill, it&#8217;s built through repetition.</p><p>The more you decide, the better you get at deciding. The less you hesitate, the less hesitation becomes part of your process.</p><p>What slows people down is fear&#8212;fear of being wrong, fear of consequences, fear of judgment. So they delay. And in that delay, they lose momentum.</p><p>Strong minds don&#8217;t eliminate fear&#8212;they move with it. They understand that action reduces uncertainty faster than thinking ever will.</p><p>Make decisions faster. Not recklessly&#8212;but without unnecessary delay. That&#8217;s how you build confidence in your own judgment.</p><p><strong>The Takeaway</strong></p><p>Decisiveness improves with action.</p><p><strong>Keep Moving Forward!</strong></p><p><em>Not-So-Guru</em></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.not-so-guru.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Not-So-Guru Playbook is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.not-so-guru.com/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share Not-So-Guru Playbook&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.not-so-guru.com/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share Not-So-Guru Playbook</span></a></p><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Health Is Wealth]]></title><description><![CDATA[Consistency Beats Perfect Timing]]></description><link>https://www.not-so-guru.com/p/health-is-wealth-9d0</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.not-so-guru.com/p/health-is-wealth-9d0</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Hillman Lentz]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 01 Jul 2026 10:01:16 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/c183f1cc-ae5f-4695-9057-3f77b533e1a1_500x500.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>When it comes to health, people spend too much time trying to get everything &#8220;just right.&#8221; The perfect diet, the perfect workout plan, the perfect routine.</p><p>I did the same thing. Adjusting, tweaking, optimizing&#8230; while consistency quietly disappeared.</p><p>Your body doesn&#8217;t need perfection&#8212;it needs repetition. Consistent meals, consistent sleep, consistent movement. That&#8217;s where results come from.</p><p>Sleep improves when your routine stabilizes. Nutrition works when it&#8217;s repeatable. Recovery happens when you stop disrupting the cycle.</p><p>Stop waiting for the perfect setup. Start executing a simple one consistently. That&#8217;s where real progress shows up.</p><p><strong>The Takeaway</strong></p><p>Consistency drives results&#8212;not perfection.</p><p><strong>Keep Moving Forward!</strong></p><p><em>Not-So-Guru</em></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.not-so-guru.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Not-So-Guru Playbook is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.not-so-guru.com/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share Not-So-Guru Playbook&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.not-so-guru.com/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share Not-So-Guru Playbook</span></a></p><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Insights & Epiphanies]]></title><description><![CDATA[You Already Know Enough]]></description><link>https://www.not-so-guru.com/p/insights-and-epiphanies-0a6</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.not-so-guru.com/p/insights-and-epiphanies-0a6</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Hillman Lentz]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 30 Jun 2026 10:01:23 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/5fc599a9-b54e-4c7a-ace3-740d8b17030c_500x500.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>There&#8217;s a moment in every decision where you already know what to do&#8212;but you don&#8217;t act on it. Not because you need more information, but because you want more certainty.</p><p>I&#8217;ve been there more times than I can count. Waiting for confirmation, validation, one more signal that says &#8220;this is the right move.&#8221;</p><p>But here&#8217;s the truth&#8212;you usually know. You&#8217;ve alread&#8230;</p>
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   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Hustler’s Guide]]></title><description><![CDATA[Stop Polishing&#8212;Start Moving]]></description><link>https://www.not-so-guru.com/p/the-hustlers-guide-19c</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.not-so-guru.com/p/the-hustlers-guide-19c</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Hillman Lentz]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 29 Jun 2026 10:01:51 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/8dea6adc-ff69-4d81-a065-ee8b027dfefa_500x500.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Let me tell you something that cost me time&#8212;too much time. I used to believe that if I just refined the plan a little more, thought it through one more time, I&#8217;d get it &#8220;just right.&#8221;</p><p>That&#8217;s a trap. Polishing feels productive, but it&#8217;s usually just hesitation dressed up as preparation. You&#8217;re not improving the decision&#8212;you&#8217;re delaying the execution.</p><p>At som&#8230;</p>
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          <a href="https://www.not-so-guru.com/p/the-hustlers-guide-19c">
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   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Quotes & Quick Thoughts]]></title><description><![CDATA[Course Correction Wins]]></description><link>https://www.not-so-guru.com/p/quotes-and-quick-thoughts-9d1</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.not-so-guru.com/p/quotes-and-quick-thoughts-9d1</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Hillman Lentz]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 26 Jun 2026 10:00:48 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/9a73dbfe-3f1f-43b9-8f7e-6747561d541f_500x500.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Progress isn&#8217;t linear. It never has been. The people who move forward aren&#8217;t the ones who get everything right&#8212;they&#8217;re the ones who adjust faster than others.</p><p>This week is about letting go of perfection and staying responsive. Because the ability to course correct is what keeps you in the game.</p><p><strong>&#8220;It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the&#8230;</strong></p>
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   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Mental Mastery]]></title><description><![CDATA[Detach From the Original Plan]]></description><link>https://www.not-so-guru.com/p/mental-mastery-204</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.not-so-guru.com/p/mental-mastery-204</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Hillman Lentz]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 25 Jun 2026 10:01:27 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/62ffd743-33fb-4962-93e0-c7c2f4b1903d_500x500.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>One of the biggest mental traps is attachment&#8212;to your original plan, your first idea, your initial decision.</p><p>You convince yourself that because you chose it, it must be right. And when reality starts to show otherwise, you resist adjusting.</p><p>That resistance creates friction. You hold onto something that no longer serves you, simply because you committed to&#8230;</p>
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   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Health Is Wealth]]></title><description><![CDATA[Your Body Requires Course Correction Too]]></description><link>https://www.not-so-guru.com/p/health-is-wealth-ae9</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.not-so-guru.com/p/health-is-wealth-ae9</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Hillman Lentz]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 24 Jun 2026 10:01:59 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/aab66f87-537b-4ab9-8726-01e79723fa28_500x500.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Your health isn&#8217;t static. What worked six months ago may not work today&#8212;and ignoring that is where problems start.</p><p>I&#8217;ve had periods where I thought I had everything dialed in. Same routines, same structure. But over time, energy shifted, recovery slowed, and things felt off.</p><p>The mistake is pushing through without adjusting. More intensity, more volume, le&#8230;</p>
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   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Insights & Epiphanies]]></title><description><![CDATA[You&#8217;re Allowed to Change Your Mind]]></description><link>https://www.not-so-guru.com/p/insights-and-epiphanies-505</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.not-so-guru.com/p/insights-and-epiphanies-505</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Hillman Lentz]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 23 Jun 2026 10:00:25 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/f1fd5640-564f-4f44-ab32-e23b9921e826_500x500.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>There&#8217;s this strange belief that once you decide something, you have to stick with it no matter what. Like changing direction somehow means you were wrong.</p><p>I used to carry that mindset. I thought commitment meant rigidity. If I adjusted, it felt like I was admitting failure.</p><p>But here&#8217;s what I learned&#8212;changing your mind isn&#8217;t weakness. It&#8217;s awareness. It m&#8230;</p>
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          <a href="https://www.not-so-guru.com/p/insights-and-epiphanies-505">
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   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Hustler’s Guide]]></title><description><![CDATA[Adjust Fast, Not Perfectly]]></description><link>https://www.not-so-guru.com/p/the-hustlers-guide-589</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.not-so-guru.com/p/the-hustlers-guide-589</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Hillman Lentz]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 22 Jun 2026 10:01:23 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/76c66bfb-e445-415b-91d8-bf438c41e0a9_500x500.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Let me tell you where most people get stuck&#8212;they treat adjustment like failure. Something doesn&#8217;t go as planned, and instead of correcting quickly, they hesitate, overanalyze, and slow everything down.</p><p>I used to do the same thing. I&#8217;d make a decision, see it wasn&#8217;t working perfectly, and then spend too much time trying to &#8220;fix it properly.&#8221; Meanwhile, mo&#8230;</p>
      <p>
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   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Quotes & Quick Thoughts]]></title><description><![CDATA[Ownership Changes Everything]]></description><link>https://www.not-so-guru.com/p/quotes-and-quick-thoughts-7a4</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.not-so-guru.com/p/quotes-and-quick-thoughts-7a4</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Hillman Lentz]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 19 Jun 2026 10:01:17 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/feba367d-93b3-45cb-86de-5256eb9ee94d_500x500.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>There&#8217;s a clear line between people who move forward and people who stay stuck&#8212;and it&#8217;s not talent, intelligence, or opportunity.</p><p>It&#8217;s ownership. The willingness to say, &#8220;This is on me,&#8221; and act accordingly. Most people avoid it because it&#8217;s uncomfortable. But it&#8217;s also where all progress begins.</p><p><strong>&#8220;He who blames others has a long way to go on his journey.&#8221;&#8230;</strong></p>
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   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Mental Mastery]]></title><description><![CDATA[Responsibility Removes Noise]]></description><link>https://www.not-so-guru.com/p/mental-mastery-126</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.not-so-guru.com/p/mental-mastery-126</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Hillman Lentz]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 18 Jun 2026 10:01:36 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/243750ff-59f8-44cd-a5cd-783af9ad4d38_500x500.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Mental clutter often comes from one place&#8212;avoidance. Avoidance of responsibility, avoidance of decisions, avoidance of outcomes.</p><p>When you don&#8217;t fully own something, your mind keeps revisiting it. Second-guessing, replaying, questioning. That loop creates noise.</p><p>Responsibility cuts through that instantly. When you accept, &#8220;This is mine,&#8221; the loop closes. Y&#8230;</p>
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