They're lying! On get rich/happy quick schemes and bullshit free dream chasing
The truth will set you free, right? It also has a tendency to make you pretty unpopular. But, we don't care about popularity around here. We care about dream chasing, living for a purpose, and standing up yourself even when it's doesn't make you a cool kid. Sometimes, especially when it doesn't make you a cool kid. So, I got pretty pissed off yesterday. I was checking in to Twitter like I normally do, and I'm getting pretty good at ignoring stupid hashtag trends, but this one I couldn't shake:
#solveyourproblemsin4words (or something to this extent)
Wondering what the most common answers were? Easy - 'Win the lottery now. 'A fat pay check' and so on.
I am so fucking tired of this myth
That some external miracle is going to come and solve every single issue you could ever have (spoiler alert: it won't), and that someone is going to come knocking at your door and give you all the answers.
That you can make 6 figures in 6 minutes, that you can work for an hour a day and become a millionaire, that you can basically sit on your ass, think of money, and some will fall out of the sky right onto your lap.
And I'm really sick of marketers massively exploiting dream chasers like you and me, who don't just want to make money, we want to put good shit into the world.
Because, let's face it. It's a hell of a lot harder putting yourself out there and making your own income when you give a shit about the world, you have a passion and a cause and you have ethics. (There, I said it. I used the E word.)
We're not out to make a quick buck. We're in it for the long haul, to somehow make a difference, to inspire, to change things, to shake shit up.
And chances are, we also don't have the ridiculous amount of money needed (or the desire) to outsource all the work that takes the hard work out of making money. Nor would we want to gain from cheap labour and words that aren't ours.
Let's be honest.
No magic drink is going to make me a hundred pounds lighter, the same way as a £10,000 retreat isn't going to make you successful.
What's more likely to make you successful is spending an afternoon with a bunch of coloured pens and a drawing pad, working out what success means for you.
And what's more likely to make me a hundred pounds lighter is going for more walks and limiting my chocolate intake.
What's more likely to make you more money is figuring out what you love to do and how much money you really need or want.
These people who are out to solve all your problems in 5 easy steps? It's bullshit.
There are no 5 easy steps to happiness.
No 5 easy steps to make you a more positive person
There are no 5 quick things you can do to give yourself the body of Jennifer Anniston, the wealth of Bill Gates or the success of Taylor Swift.
There just aren't.
And when you stop reading the bullshit that tells you otherwise, you actually get somewhere. You start making those plans, working on your confidence, setting yourself goals and following you own intuition.
And when you start to realise that those 5 steps, those 4 quick hours, those six figure fixers are bullshit and just don't exist, you're going to feel liberated.
You'll realise that doing things your way is more than okay. That you have you own definition of success, and your own way of getting there.
That's not to say there aren't people out there who can help you.
Of course there are. But make sure they're people who are speaking your language. Who share your values. And who are totally upfront about the amount of hard work and courage it takes to chase your dreams.
You've got all the answers inside you, you've got the creativity, the determination and the passion to create your own version of success.
And you've got the common sense in your head that tells you that not all problems can be solved - but they can be halved when shared with a friend and a cup of the tea :)
Dream chasers, bold and courageous women, passionate and compassionate souls? We're being sold a lie.
And damn right we're not going to take it anymore.