My son has been researching a lot of health and fitness information. In the process he has come across many internet influencers selling complicated or unrealistic programs. Talking to a registered nutritionist, she said she sees this all the time.
The big difference is a nutritionist is certified and works with evidence-based facts and research. Internet influencers, OTOH, have no credentials or at least none are required. It’s the “oldest grift in the book that’s been going on for centuries” the nutritionist said. Meaning, many people preach or sell complicated programs that sell like hotcakes, but don’t necessarily work. There is a psychology to this and they know it and hope that you don’t.
Why?
Perception
Because people perceive complicated as better. Simple can’t work so complicated must be better. It’s like choosing the correct goblet in the movie, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. The bad guy chose the glittery, shiny one whereas Indy chose the simple, plain goblet. Who was right? Indy! People are distracted by bright, shiny, pretty objects and often overlook the simple ones or in this case, the simple solution, because it can’t be better. We live in an age where marketing has ingrained in us that fancy, shiny, newfangled is better. Simple equals old-fashioned and outdated.
Thanks to marketing we’ve come to believe that complicated or unrealistic is the only solution, especially if we’ve tried them all and none work. The people pushing these types of programs or solutions make you think they are the only ones with the answer. It’s so out of reach, so it must work. Therefore, I must plop down $100 (or more!) for their course. This is the mindset of many buyers according to research. If we feel they are telling the truth we’ll come back everyday to see what they have to say next because of fear. What might we miss if we don’t tune in? What else do they have to say that I need to know? People are naturally inclined to assuage their fears so this angle works.
We tend to believe that convoluted or difficult works. It has to be hard to work. It goes along with the notion that you have to work hard to get results. If it’s not hard, then it won’t work. Remember the 80s fitness slogan, “No pain, no gain?” It promoted the concept that working hard is the only way to get results. Sometimes that is true, but oftentimes, it’s not. Hard doesn’t equal better. Difficult doesn’t equal better. But these people make you think that’s true. All to rope you in.
I’m not saying all difficult or complicated programs won’t work. They might. But why go the hard route when you can go the more reasonable route and get the same or better results? And get them quicker?
This concept doesn’t just apply to the health and fitness world. It applies to everything. The organizational sphere, spiritual world, marketing – you name it! There’s a guru in every genre who has the answer – and it isn’t usually a simple or feasible one. Simple and practical don’t sell. Fear always works and s*x always sells. You don’t need to be a marketing expert to know that.
Practical and Easy Often Work the Best
Not to toot my own horn, but that’s why I always give my clients the easiest and most practical solutions and tips. Things don’t need to be so complicated to be effective. For example, if you enjoy it or it makes you feel comfortable to burn a certain type of incense, have ten white candles glowing and special music playing while you meditate – do it. But it’s not required or necessary to get the desired results. Meditating can be done anywhere – even on a crowded and noisy plane. It takes practice, but it can be done. All you have to do is ground yourself and do some deep breathing to calm your mind and body down.
The same can be said with energetic protection. Some people will tell you that certain verbiage is required or that precise words must be said and in a specific order. They want you to take their class that includes particular invocations or protection prayers.
That’s all well and good but here’s my uncomplicated solution to energetic protection: all you have to do is say, “I am protected.” Or if you want even simpler, say, “Protection up.” Or any straightforward variation. In my experience adding any extra verbiage or distinct prayers doesn’t seem to affect it. Therefore, I stick with my simple, “My protection is up.” It works for me so why can’t it work for you? Keep in mind energetic protection isn’t foolproof but that still doesn’t mean anything long or complicated is required. Try it if you like and you just might find that simple works.
One Size Does Not Fit All
If there’s one thing that I learned in my life it’s that one size doesn’t fit all in just about everything. Some programs or systems work great for some people, but not for others. It really depends on your personality type, your lifestyle, your willingness etc.
For example, when I was in sales our managers were always preaching time management. I was naturally good at it so I didn’t need a system. Growing up with efficient parents, I instinctively knew how to budget my time accordingly.
Other people though, would buy the pricey time management systems. These days that information is free on the internet, but back then it wasn’t. It included tips such as schedule everything in your day down to the minutest detail. Schedule your break, your research time, your phone time etc. Block off time periods for all activities and repeat the routine every day. No exceptions.
If you’re like me and don’t like restrictions, then just get it done sometime during the day. And I did. I didn’t need a fancy or complicated system to tell me how to run my life. But some people did. Although I truly wonder how many people stuck with it because some of the advice wasn’t practical.
Most people don’t like being so scheduled especially for their entire life. There’s always some who do. If it works for them, great. Most people will fall off the wayside with something so rigid. Structure is not a bad thing, but only if it’s realistic. If it’s realistic, people will keep it up. If not, they won’t.
Important Information is Missing
My son tells me there is a big trend now called the “5am Club.” People are selling the idea that getting up at 5am will not only make you more productive, it will make you successful. It’s true that if you wake up early you have more time to get things done but only if you do them. To add weight to their claims, there are many known millionaires and billionaires who get up early. Most of these people have naturally high energy and are driven, motivated people. If you don’t have those qualities, then that type of routine will be a struggle for you. Just because you get up at 5am does not make you a millionaire. There’s a whole lot of missing and misleading information.
Oftentimes these programs only sell a piece of what makes you successful or will give the desired results. They don’t address the real issues or the bigger picture. Do you have the mindset, the personality, the drive, the motivation, the willingness etc. to pull off these systems? That’s why many people buy systems of any type and later have to blow the dust off of them. It isn’t the right fit for them and they didn’t realize it. It sounded promising, so they thought they’d try it. As a result, the programs don’t get used or they use them for two weeks or two months only to scrap them. As I said, not everything is right for everyone. That’s where your discernment comes into play.
Information Overload
These days a lot of information is free. That’s great but it also gets confusing because there are so many options and so many opinions. That’s what my son was running into. How do you know what to do? How do you know if this complicated solution will really work? And most importantly, do the people pushing it apply it to their life? No way to know but I’d wager to bet most of them don’t. Complicated things, let’s face it, are hard to stick with because of their nature.
My advice then, stick with the simpler, easier solutions and ones that work for you. I don’t mean the “get rich quick” schemes either. Because yes, sometimes quick or too easy equals a con. “Too good to be true” is true for a reason most of the time! Know yourself and you’ll know what works for you and what doesn’t.
If you’re tired of sifting through options and aren’t sure which one to pick, then ask your best friend. You know, the one who’s with you all the time. The one that won’t steer you wrong or lie to you. YES! Your intuition – that’s who! If a program feels too good to be true or too complicated to work, let your intuition guide you to what’s right for you.
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