There seems to have been a new work ethic lurching about in recent years. It looks something like this: “If it seems difficult, or if it seems like hard work, then you are doing it wrong.”
The Law of Attraction people really seized the day with this one – formulate your desire, set your intention and you are good to go, go, go!
As I have mentioned before, the fabric of the universe will bend and mold itself to your will in an effortless fashion that just demonstrates that the One, the Almighty, and the only God is on your side.
You too can be the chosen one if you just open yourself to the universal power and luscious goodness that courses through this abundant universe.
But it might be best to ignore the deformed, the ugly, the deranged, the Africans, the war refugees, the earthquakes and all those damned IEDs blasting decent people to pieces. These are the kinds of things that can ruin a perfectly good theory.
LOA just attracts the good stuff. That’s right, just the good stuff.
And let’s invoke the power of Einstein to support us on this quest; after all, did he not proclaim the universe to be a friendly one? So, just mention quantum physics, energy and mirror neurones, and there we have all the supporting scientific proof, do we not?
Now, I suspect that a lot of this ideology probably traces back to the corporate buzz of a few years ago. “Work smarter, not harder,” those men in crisp suits and lavender shirts advised us.
They wanted to reduce costs and expenditures to increase profit margins. Not a poor idea, but as with all things, when costs are decreased and expenditures reigned in, then the recipients of those former costs and expenditures don’t get paid. But you might want to ignore that part of the equation too. Just focus on the positive stuff. That’s right, just the good stuff.
But then the personal development industry adopted this blue-sky thinking too. Ever wondered about those corporate lifestyle dropouts who themselves seem so keen to repackage Office Newspeak and sell it back to the wage slaves as a gospel of liberation, complete with promises of personal and financial freedom to boot? Thus, what the collared workers listen to during corporate meetings this week will become your rehashed self-development workshop programme in a few years’ time.
But with an added component.
In the personal development game everything must be “effortless”, “easy” and “instant”. Overnight success is the name of the game.
So, think outside that box, downshift and clear your mind of the clutter, reach for the sky and fill yourself with blue-sky thinking, and synergise and catch that low-hanging fruit. It’s easy in this game, and everyone can be a guru. It is all about getting what you want, fulfilling your potential, being true to yourself and aligning yourself with the universe.
The problem with the idea of effortless and overnight success is that so many people are chasing it, and that worries me. And it worries me greatly. In the personal development and alphabet therapies, there are so, so many people who have websites that create the illusion of remarkable success and affluence, yet they are in fact broke, getting broker, and are anything but successful in that business.
Whilst I understand the advertising and marketing thing, I get it; the effect is that a certain illusion gets created. People prefer to avoid saying, “Actually, I have no money and clients, so please, please come and see me.” Of course, such behaviour will not lead to success.
As many therapists and coaches find, the obvious solution to this is to become a trainer and train other people in the stuff; it shifts the responsibility and the burden. Collectively, the effect these actions have is that so many struggling alphabet therapists and personal development coaches believe that they must be the only ones who are struggling, and so what they do to solve this is attend more trainings – trainings that offer success effortlessly.
If this is you, you are not an exception. I honestly believe that you are the norm.
Go to Companies House and see just how many personal development and training companies have failed to submit tax returns or other financial documents, are struck off, or have gone bust. You may be surprised at what you find. Read those documents carefully, then go back and read their websites thoroughly. See if you can spot the mismatch.
Now, back to that “last week’s corporate bullshit is next week’s instant success training course” thing.
Remember that all too often, the people promoting such things are usually known as “former employees” or more realistically, “the unemployed”.
