There are more and more business, dating, lifestyle, and personal transformation gurus than ever before. Selling courses, counseling, and coaching at a heavy price. Most of these “experts” never sell anything original - it is just watered down concepts and advice sold in a new shiny wrapping.

I have acquaintances that have bought into pick-up bootcamps, paying 1000 dollars for a weekend - none of them get any better results than the ones that learned through free content and forums on the internet. Some of them are still struggling on the same level they were a couple of years ago.

I have a close friend that paid the same amount of money for a meditation course. Where he was given a “special mantra”. He later told me that he found the instructions and his personal mantra on the internet for free.

I paid 12 dollars for Roy Masters meditation audiobook “Be Still And Know” which you can find for free on YouTube.

Realize your favorite self-development guru has learned from someone else “above them” - the real experts. You can learn from these originators at a fraction of the price your favorite guru wants you to pay.

These self-proclaimed mentors often follow the same format. Many will have a YouTube account in order to generate, leads, traffic, and build up trust with their audience. This is done by giving away free value and content in order to establish their brand.

Another side effect of giving away free content is that it leaves the potential client with thoughts such as - “Well if all this great content is free, imagine what the paid product will do for my life”

The truth is that the product being sold to you will likely contain the same information that you can buy as a book on Amazon for a few dollars instead of hundreds and thousands through an online course.

The YouTube videos will contain a link to a landing page for the product steeped in marketing techniques such as scarcity marketing, big colorful buttons, and graphics. It will contain powerful statements such as:

  • “Live An Incredible Life...NOW”
  • “Feel Unstoppable In Your Personal and Business Life”
  • “Unleash your Authentic Self”

You get the message - what’s funny is once you have seen one landing page you have seen them all. Another strategy you will come across is the discrediting of the original source and author.

“Sure all these books and authors are great, but they don’t teach you how to take practical steps - which I do”

Even well-established success gurus such as Tony Robbins have had personal models. He learned about motivational speaking from Jim Rohn. He learned Neuro-Linguistic-Programming. A powerful system to change habits, emotions, and thoughts, from the co-founder John Grinder.

He re-packaged NLP and incorporated it into his books and seminars. A Tony Robbins seminar called “A Date With Destiny” costs 2,000 dollars.

Richard Bandler’s NLP book “Make Your Life Great” costs 12 dollars. And will contain the same strategies and techniques that Tony Robbins teaches.

So I hope you don’t buy into the hype or let them play on your insecurities. Everything you could ever need in terms of guidance and information is out there for free.