For the first part of this article go to Gurus: The Good the Bad and the Ugly Part 1

The Bad and the Ugly

Now as I wrote about last time there seems to be enormous power behind committing to a goal, but don’t let it get too far. Sales tactics employed by gurus often involve implying that if you don’t sign up for their courses or buy their books then you aren’t committing to your goals and you won’t be able to reach them.

They try to put you in a bind, which isn’t really fair if you can’t afford it. I’ve had people try to encourage me to take out loans or use my credit card to sign up for courses costing thousands of pounds. Not a nice thing to do in my opinion.I wonder how many people get in to financial difficulty because they fail to think critically in a situation where their emotions have been pumped up.

To be honest, at some seminars I see people that haven’t smiled or felt good in years. When someone gives them permission to be happy they go all out. It’s fun to watch but they have to realise that the guru didn’t wave his magic wand and make them change. They did it themselves. It’s a bit of a head-trip when you find out how much we are in control of ourselves and how much control we willingly give away. For example when I first became interested in hypnosis I thought it was the hypnotist who was doing something to his client, then I realised that it’s the client that is doing all the work. I was a little bit disappointed at first, I thought hypnosis was a sham… until the full implications hit me.

Some people feel disappointed when they hear that a person they respect or look up to has done something they don’t approve of. No matter how succesfull they appear to be they are still humans. Infidelity, drug-use / abuse and bankruptcy will occur in their lives in the same proportions as the total population.

If you are disappointed it can be an indicator that you are investing too much into another person. At the end of the day you should only take on board what is useful for you and discard what is not. You are responsible for your own life as they are for theirs. Learn to separate the message from the person delivering it otherwise you’ll leave yourself open to disappointment and disillusion.

Finally be wary of any organisations that encourage cult like behaviour. This usually includes separating you from your family, not allowing any disagreement with the leaders, pressure to recruit new customers / clients, coercion into donating more and more money or your free time to their cause.