I was recently contacted via email to try a life coaching program put on by Jack Canfield based on his relatively new book, The Success Principles. Well, the email (which was incredibly manipulative in it's wording, as all good sales pitches are) made it seem like it was a cheap offer. Perhaps it was even free! So I went to the link, and filled out the little form and clicked submit. A few days later I got a call from a guy who works for Canfield as part of a pre-screening process. He talked with me for 10 minutes, and then wondered if I could go through an hour and a half interview where he would talk a little about the program. The guy sounded like he had been through this a hundred times, and he didn't feel genuine to me at all. I was more selling myself because I thought it was going to be free or very very inexpensive (keeping in mind that I am about to undertake two more years of school for my masters). Well, you reap what you sow.
He thought I would be an excellent candidate for their life coaching program. Then he told me the price, or 'economic investment.' I understand the nature of framing things a certain way - I've taken classes about this sort of thing. I know how it works. I've seen it in countless businesses when they change the title of different positions from 'stocker' to 'team member.' But the words mean the same thing. They refer to the same thing. In the end, you still needed to fork over $3500 in order to be successful.
That is a bunch of bullshit. There are a few reasons why. Yes, when you pay a certain amount of money you feel obliged to commit. The 'investment' inherently escalates your level of commitment to the program or product. You buy a nice car, you want to polish it's wheels every so often and make sure you take it in for regular maintenance, put in the proper fuel etc. The problem is that money is a difficult thing to come by. That amount takes out a significant percentage of the population. What about the homeless guy who wants to change his life? What about the foster kid who has been shuttled from home to home? Can they afford these things? Not unless they're doing something illegal and are sending a money order.
OKay, so automatically it assumes certain things about the people who are applying for this kind of service. Perhaps that is accurate, but it doesn't make it less shitty.
Secondly, the salesman who talked to me for much longer than I wanted provided me with the very logic that attacks his argument. He said, "Is a fancy dayplanner going to make you organize yourself?" Well, of course not. The only thing that can occur to make you change how you organize yourself is an INTERNAL change. You have to decide to change how you are living your life. You have to develop your own system. Okay, so the fancy schmancy life coaches might make that a little faster, but it will at the same time rob you of some good life lessons, like mistakes.
There is a reason we make mistakes. There is a reason we fail. It is to learn. When we learn from our mistakes, when someone asks us why we do things a certain way we can explain to them our choices. We have a logic, an easy proof - I tried it a few different ways, and this is the one that works the best. Granted, being willing to listen to new improvements on the successful action which make the action more efficient is a good thing, but at least you can provide some kind of history to back your action.
One of the things, which I have learned about myself, is that when someone doubts my ability to do something (which I already think I can do) it further strengthens my determination to do it properly and exemplary.
So, thanks to the stupid salesman for the lifecoaching thing, because he made me think of about 30 ways I could improve what I am doing on a regular basis in areas of health, income, and my productivity. The upsetting non-encounter also strengthened my resolve to take my 'goal binder' and turn it into a 'vision board' (which in my head, I actually call it a 'victory board' because I look at these things that I want, pictures and words, and feel like they are already happening or have happened - think the old Hebrew verb usage when referring to God). I also created a goal tracking chart which records all of my daily actions that are furthering (or hindering depending on the actions) my goals.
I have to say, I already feel better. It's amazing what not spending $3500 will do for you!
I should say, for those people who are too weak to do these things on their own, and need to spend the money, by all means, spend it. Canfield does give a guarantee that you will be changed. But for those of us who have less funding to play with at this time, and feel the overwhelming DIY urge that makes us Americans, I support you in your efforts and am here to say, you CAN do it, because I am doing it as you read this.
So peace, love, and frugality where it is deserved, or generosity respectively.
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