If you are smart enough to see opportunity in everything, you can make a business out of a very simple thing, such as words. You just need to package it well with a remarkable story of how you overcame your greatest obstacle and end it with the great legendary punchline “If I can do it, then so can you”. If you can’t do it? Well, it’s your fault for not working hard enough. That is exactly what happens in the motivation industry.
The motivation industry, is that even a real thing?
According to Marketdata LLC, the motivation or self-help industry is worth roughly 10 billion dollars a year, which includes products such as books, seminars, and programs. The rise of many new forms of motivation products such as self-help apps, webinars, and self-help celebrities who share their wisdom on social media also makes it easier for people to access motivational products. It is not a secret anymore that famous motivational speakers charge hundreds or even thousands of dollars for people to come to their seminars and watch them give a magnificent speech of “transformational change” that can change you into a more motivated, stronger individual to achieve all of your dreams, especially being extremely rich.
But does it really work? Or is it just another way for capitalists to take advantage of our insecurities in life?
Just like the “get rich quick” or “get your dream abs” scheme, what all of these things have in common is that they sell dreams. “Get rich quick” sells a dream that in a few steps you can be a millionaire in a month. “Get your dream abs” sell a dream that in a month with their program you can get those Instagram-worthy body goals. Meanwhile, motivation sells a dream that you can change your behavior just by attending or listening to the speakers saying things like “You can be a millionaire if you believe it” and eventually be a millionaire.
But does all of it work? The answer is no: because if it works, you will stop consuming.
The main goal is not to make you successful. The main goal is to make THEMSELVES successful and rich. That is why they keep making addicting content that hooks you emotionally without actually giving concrete steps on how to achieve success so you will keep consuming and buying their products. They keep you hooked by saying their way of life is the only way to success. You have to do, think, behave, or choose things just like they did in order to achieve success just like they did. This kind of message implies that how you live right now is wrong and you will feel as if you are never enough because you haven’t reached success.
Here comes the best part of peak capitalism, the aspect that made this scheme a perfect gold mine for many gurus: if you, as the consumer of their content and program, didn’t get the result that they promised to you, it is not their fault. It is simply yours for not working hard enough or not giving more time to work every day. Even worse, they can frame it to make you buy even more programs and spend more money on them in order to achieve the success they promised to you the first time. It is the perfect opportunity for them to target more of your insecurities and vulnerabilities for their own gain.
The programs that these motivational speakers design are basically a one-size-fits-all solution that might not be suitable for everyone. People have different situations, talents, and even opportunities. Our path to success is not the same as others but for sure we can learn from one another to suit our own pursuits. The harm in motivational speakers’ programs to get rich or achieve a certain level in life is that they didn’t take others’ situations into consideration.
The programs were based on their experience. The tips and tricks that worked for them might not work for you but the way they market the program as if it is the only way. Sometimes, we don’t realize that we are being lured to buy their program because the way they market their programs is subtle and uses a lot of emotional hooks.
Sadly, a lot of people still come to these motivational gurus for life advice because they accept the statements that say that the life they live now is not enough. The hard truth is that there is no class or book that will change you into someone you wish to be in a month. People fail to understand that everyone has a different path, especially when it comes to personal journeys.
Motivational speakers don’t tell you what you need to hear but tell you what you want to hear, which is a “life hack” to glory and fame. You need to start your own journey. Be careful when you listen to motivational speakers. Some of their advice is okay but there are a lot of emotional traps that you don’t realize until you already spend hundreds or thousands on their “transformational” class.
Image credits: Priscilla Du Preez and Jon Tyson