❀ the cult of: ➥motivational speakers ➥life coaches ➥personal growth gurus ➥new-age charlatans ➥AWESOMENESS FEST

yes i keep thinking about a post but not really getting it right -- something about how this stuff is about all of these concepts in the vaguest sense HEALTH, MONEY, HAPPINESS, SPIRIT etc, but like fanatically avoidant of, idk, anything a reasonable adult would feel s/he would have to content with in getting those things: work, politics, psychology, history, religion, family.

― Critique of Pure Moods (goole), Friday, February 3, 2012 10:49 AM (3 minutes ago

this stuff seems tied to things that, imo, people don't need to be happy. wealth, huge house, perfect body, perfect health, fame, being exceptional, loved by all, etc. consumerism kinda leads people the wrong way about what's valuable in life, I think... so it's like, do these people lack the ability to direct their own meaning in life in the face of it? who knows. a bummer regardless.

studies have shown that above ~60k/year salary there is no appreciable change in reported happiness

well i think they're kind of splitting the difference, like 1st you get all your worldly/material concerns taken care of and then you can focus on, like, meditation or some amorphous concept about making the world a better place for others.

no they're about having it all at once

like, making money THROUGH making a world a better place by selling the secret seminars or whatever

i think i'm thinking specifically about the wp m4ge guy and his ilk and their thing which is basically you need to get out of the corporate world and find something that lets you generate income with no cost to your time, then you can follow your dreamz.

but you're right mindvalley seems to characterize it more in the way you're describing

the moment at 4:00 in that video that am0n is talking about is so great--hes there with this new age healer and is like "making $30 million dollars with my business" and shes like, "lets just get that out of there... [& u think: because, you know, happiness isnt about money] ...because why have limits?" why indeed

im still kind of mystified by the quantum jumping video, where they dont really talk at all about quantum jumping, but about the guy's really valuable paintings, and i am amazed that people seem to follow that doddering old dude

this is like the hardcore fringe of the the locavore/free trade etc thing where u want to help the world but youre so fully identified w/being a consumer that all you can do is purchase or not purchase things

and facilitate other ppl's purchases

yeah, that's interesting about mindvalley ... it's all about helping the world and shit. pretty good schtick. think it hits the low-self esteem / confused thing in a similar way ... reminds me of Eric Hoffer in the True Believer talking about people finding causes because they're unhappy or lost in their lives.

is there any specificity about how, exactly, mindvalley acolytes are helping the world

no idea, just basing it off the ad copy. i have no idea how you connect that with the products they sell.

yeah thats what i mean -- it feels like viral marketing for a movie or something, like theres absolutely no specificity about anything, theyve reached max buzzword saturation

its like a horse_ebooks website

People with low self-esteem want to save the world because it makes them feel important. Messed up people always wanting to fix other peoples lives. You can be pretty, drive a sporty red car, and be everybody's hero. Like be a princess that's against land mines. Plus be on a boat.

If you offer something concrete people can think critically about it.

yeah its that "because why have limits?" moment all over again.

http://i.imgur.com/W8AXn.jpg

yeah thats what i mean -- it feels like viral marketing for a movie or something, like theres absolutely no specificity about anything, theyve reached max buzzword saturation

― max, Friday, February 3, 2012 11:20 AM (25 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

this should be your new login

is there any specificity about how, exactly, mindvalley acolytes are helping the world

― max, Friday, February 3, 2012 6:13 AM (31 minutes ago)

might just be lip-service, but there's this at least: http://www.mindvalley.com/planet-first/

KLurker come back!!!!!

i want to hear mindvalley party stories!!! post facebook pictures!!!

Mindvalley
This philosophy (high impact + fun = Mindvalley style) has fueled the development of some of the most-talked about initiatives we’ve launched. And on 3 – 6 November 2011 in Hawaii, we held what’s turning out to be THE hottest personal growth movement on the planet – Awesomeness Fest. Read more here: http://www.mindvalley.com/blog/awesome-causes-2011/.
Reply · 1 · · January 17 at 10:24am

u missed out gr80

i know i'm so bummed. but it was on a different island and i was hella busy with work that week.

i really want to go to awesomeness fest 2012, guys. maybe i should start a coaching website now?

this could be your logo

http://www.presentermedia.com/files/clipart/00002000/2859/referee_blow_whistle_md_wm.jpg

this is like the hardcore fringe of the the locavore/free trade etc thing where u want to help the world but youre so fully identified w/being a consumer that all you can do is purchase or not purchase things
― lag∞n, Friday, February 3, 2012 10:08 AM (54 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

truth bomb

oh man I am totally the guy who is either purchasing or not purchasing things :(

I blame the gameification of personal finance

otm

I imagine conversations between these people go a lot like this.

i thought that said gentrification of personal finance

did personal finance need to be gamified anymore than it was naturally?

My personal finance has no gamification.

Mine wasn't for a long time! It's just that you have to actually pay attention to things eventually for one reason or another (life changes make you have more expenses, unemployment happens, you realize you are not immortal and must save for retirement, etc.) and then people latch on to financial websites and management strategies and who knows what else.

To be honest, I just had a token amount thrown in savings and spent money like crazy for part of my mid 20s. I was lucky in that I didn't really go beyond my means, but a lot of people do that on credit.

People with credit debt + sudden lack of focus in life post wild 20s -> WHERE IS MY LIFE COACH

my mom is deep into this shit

I mostly don't care as long as I don't have to listen to any spiels about it

lol i was really hoping that would go to a youtube of your mom

irl lols at

Dear Mindvalley, You don't know who I am but I know who you are and I know what you done. You had sex with my mother and then you stole my dad's money all away.

@Mordy : when I ask about their jobs I usually get something along the lines of "i'm in online marketing and mindvalley is so awesommmeee"
@grady: parties with them are similar to parties with other people. never been to a party where it was only mindvalley so there were non cult people around and it seemed fine. they do like to mention once in a while that they had an awesome party at their office the other day and how u should def come and see us there.

the video that best encapsulates the way they envision their company and what they do is probably a day in the life of mindvalley (or smth like that) which shows u a day in their office and how great it is. actually, here's the link, dont forget to read the desscription just below the video :

youtube.com/watch?v=Kju_Qy7eLRc

something about how this stuff is about all of these concepts in the vaguest sense HEALTH, MONEY, HAPPINESS, SPIRIT etc, but like fanatically avoidant of, idk, anything a reasonable adult would feel s/he would have to content with in getting those things: work, politics, psychology, history, religion, family.

this is very OTM in my experience. whenever I have gotten into discussions/arguments with my mom about "evolutionary enlightenment" I tend to get bogged down in getting her to define her terms, because so much of the discourse is based in semi-nonsensical terminology. For ex., evolution has a distinct, scientific meaning, and Cohen would like to borrow the term's scientific weight and authority but then use it in a completely different, decontextualized way.

xp

to his credit, Cohen is not on the same money-making/ego-boosting schtick as most of the other guys discussed so far itt

so i started watching that vid klurker, but it didn't seem like anyone was actually doing anything so i gave up about 2 minutes in

u truly understood what it is they do there then. i always feel like they're not doing anything. except like give each other free hugs etc

klurker what is the context of the parties, though? I mean, is it like a friend's house party where you have a shared friend, or like a concert, or what?

Aw man free hugs and a paycheck, plus you get to do nothing? Putting some spit and polish on the old resume.

yeah, friend's house party or seeing them in a bar or club. nothing very much out of the ordinary really.
austerity ponies u better make an awesome video resume if u want to get in.

watched the vid

lots of women looking doe-eyed at gesticulating dudes writing on white boards

i hate it when i have to spend my hard earned money on hugs

I have monetized my hugs

klurker would it be to anyone's benefit to start a 77 thread for you?