Read time – 05:00 Minutes

Coach Abhi’s disclaimer : The content written in this blog post is only for general information purpose, and not to be taken as medical advise. The reader is expected to use his or her common sense before using any of this information. I disclaim all responsiblity for any liability, loss or risk, which is incurred as a consequence of the use and application of any of the contents of this blog post.

Special disclaimer : there are legitimate means to improve oneself by taking and implementing advise from experts on productivity, leadership, personal development, successful career, relationships, wealth and other allied subjects. I am writing this blog post not to dismiss such legitimate advise or the contributions of any expert. The intention of this post is to create an awareness of the increasing number of pseudo-experts or gurus who capitalize on selling false hopes on the pretext of providing self-help. The reader can get useful information on finding the characteristics of such shady self-help courses/messiahs so that they can probably save their wallets and time or rescue their close friends who have inadvertently fallen prey to such a toxic culture of self-help. I am not accusing any one particular individual or any institution or any self-help guru or generalize the world of self-help as a hoax.

There are many genuine experts, professionals, writers, speakers, coaches and public figures who have shaped the personalities of highly successful individuals. I can vouch for some of the gurus who have shaped me to be the man I am today! I have been heavily influenced by the concept of dharma (duties), satya (truth), karma (action), and other aspects deriving from our yoga philosophy and our mythology, and the non indigenous concepts from Zen to Stoicism. Be it, Commander Mark Divine’s books, talks and materials which was one of my earliest self-help resources (non indigenous) – life advise coming from a former Navy Seal! I have sought self-help from Ryan Holiday, Tim Ferriss, Susan Cain, Daniel Goleman, Jordan Peterson, Nassim Nicolas Taleb, Eckhart Tolle, and the like from their life’s work. I consider myself lucky to have found the right resources at the right point of time, and I could not have asked for better resources over the last decade. These figures have shaped my way of life and thinking. These are a few examples of real or authentic gurus who are genuine in their content and have the right intentions for their readers or followers. But it is the mushrooming of gurus and their courses, e-books, materials most of which are just a copy-paste from the handbook of “How to become a money making GURU?”

The pandemic and the resulting lock-down has driven the self-help industry on a frenzy! Don’t be surprised if you are bombarded with social media advertisements of “gurus” (of all possible avatars) speaking multiple languages with subtitles prescribing remedies to all your problems. What’s wrong! Of course that’s their job, isn’t it? Are they not doing a good deed by spreading positivity! Can’t we appreciate their time and effort that they take to preach the meaning of life, pursuit of happiness and finding hope? The answer is not as easy as it may seem or the truth may be a lot harder to digest. There are two parts to this business of self-help, while one is about the model of selling false hopes and dreams to the gullible, the other is about making more of such pseudo-experts or pseudo-gurus in from of courses. Don’t you know in less than twenty four hours one can be a counselor, a life coach or even a “guru”!

What concerns me is the fact that the only person seemingly making a big progress, money and success is the “guru” or the icon himself, but not his followers or his fans (cult). This is a business after all, a business where hopes are sold! It has now become the new digital bandwagon, (for some entrepreneurs and the like) with ready templates, and sophisticated marketing tools that can find the perfect market (prey) for their services (false hopes!). And there is a big market out there (of people without a hope), with ever rising mental health issues, suicide rates, substance abuse and unemployment (recession) the world can be an unforgiving place for many who seek an escape route, or a means to get a better life or just a hope! These are the people who fall prey to the inspiring words, quotes or the video bytes which are carefully designed to get their attention.

There is a bait! Most of these toxic self-help courses or pseudo-experts promise big hopes using baits like – financial freedom (making big money), shortcut to fame/stardom, skipping a 9 to 5 job, elitist lifestyle, pursuit of one’s passion, being part of an exclusive cult, extraordinary competency in little time, happy relationships and the like. Having to improve one’s life is often an intuitive choice of many young adults so they turn to the world of self-help. But choosing the right content can be challenge! I believe that one must ask oneself some important questions or think on these lines critically before subscribing to or buying any self-help resources-

• Did the title overtly or covertly have the typical bait to prompt an impulsive reaction from a prospective consumer like promise of wealth and happiness – or does the course offer an irrational promise of changing one’s life into a fairy-tale by using (buying) their materials
• Empathetic stance – the origins of the course or the philosophy tracing back to an inspiring story of transformation which often starts with a victim narrative leading to an epitome of success
• Fabricated video content – large collection of video bytes with motivating videos with powerful visuals and music (most of it predictable in their outcome) using resources from other experts without any credits or acknowledgement to the source – lack of authenticity can be spotted
• Evidence of credibility – check if the resources or the “guru” has any credible qualifications or work experience or any real ‘skin in the game’ (books under reputed publications or featured on government/federal institutions)
• Fabricated testimonials – cross check on the testimonials or excessive top rated reviews while paying attention to the average reviews.
• A ladder structure (note that a legitimate resource may have such a structure but without any irrational outcome/results) – a free e-book leading to courses often demanding subscription fees, one course unlocking another, secret or bonus materials, retreats and getaways (parties) dressed up as life changing events and exclusive memberships (being part of the cult)

Although the core content of any resource cannot be judged right away but a glimpse of the introductory materials, the samples will shed enough light on redundancy of ideas or content being repeated passively, or presented in different tones with unnecessary explanations. The course may not have any tangible yardstick to measure the effectiveness of the course or the progress expected, or a action-plan to objectively take step by step action. It is virtually impossible for the average consumer to even understand the fact that he was entrapped or that he is just a means to make someone else rich. These counterfeit self-help courses are carefully constructed with a win-lose outcome where the consumer (seeker of hope) is made to accept the fact that he did not try hard enough or he did not do his homework! But the winner is always the guru (the mastermind who sells hope).

All these may sound familiar once you start to pay attention. Take a close look for yourself and carefully analyse the scripted talks, and the self-help e-book click baits and other “free” resources which are apparently worth thousands of dollars which are given out (for “free) just for an exchange of your email! Dig further and you will discover retreats, getaways that are going to put the consumer (hope-less person) into further debts (hopelessness) they cannot come out of. So much for self-help or self-destruction! Little do the consumers realise that the false sense of security created temporarily, the false confidence or the feeling of belongingness that compensates for the lack of any real progress or development. Self-help is not easy, as it takes a particular course of time of one’s development facing the ups and downs of life to learn from experiences. It is not a mistake to be striving to be the best, or seek to improve one’s life but it is important to know that there is no such thing as a perfect life. It is not necessary to be a millionaire to be happy, or to be an expert to make a living, or one’s life’s need not be always be in a state of good health, free of stresses, financial stability, and happy relationships. But to embrace all of it, facing adversities, and overcoming them!

The truth is – there are profiteers of selling hopes. Don’t be a prey!

Quote to ponder over – “A stoic is someone who transforms fear into prudence, pain into transformation, mistakes into initiation, and desire into undertaking.” – Nassim Nicholas Taleb

All rights reserved. Copyright © Abhijith Ravindra

In the next episode I talk to Dr. Usha Hegde, a triathlete and a marathoner who recently earned her BQ (Boston Qualified), and stands at the top of the table of Ironman India rankings in the Women’s category. An interesting discussion of the fifth episode of Shakti Podcast releasing on the 3rd June, 2020. Podcast available on Spotify, JioSaavn and SoundCloud.