Monetizing advice on self-improvement

[ballhit]

People need to be careful not to begin using meaningless disparaging and possibly condescending phrases - such as "vibrational match" - to discredit someone when they happen to assess their favourite guru/blogger/hero differently. Mind you that's an opinion, just another grasp at truth.

I would offer the readers of this thread to try the following experiment:

1. Assume Steve Pavlina is doing this all for the money, and subsequently read the blog and see how you view it.
2. Assume Steve Pavlina is doing this all for the light, and subsequently read the blog and see how you view it.
3. Assume you are able to tell the difference between 1 and 2, and then read the blog.

What this brain is capable of is nothing short of amazing. The idea here could be borrowed from an author that Mr. Pavlina suggests in his books to read, one Robert Anton Wilson. That idea is: What the Thinker Thinks, the Prover Proves.

[Kayceezharold]

That's the beauty about being alive! And of being a human...

Each of us have our own opinion, just like each of us have our own butt!

We are entitled to our opinions, and Steve definitely is entitled to his own, moreover, that is one reason why he started this forum after all, isn't it? So that he can air his views, and at the same time allow other like-minded or otherwise people to air their views as well!

It is always good to not be too personal and rain "verbal blows" on individuals, but if one really has to, make your views known on issues - not individuals. This way no feelings get hurt, and everyone of us can sleep peacefully at night!

Whether Steve's posts are getting more abstract or not, I care not. What I want to do when I'm here is whenever I come across some enlightening posts, I'll absorb and learn. Those not helpful views I discard and move on.

Let's look at the positive aspects of posts and see how it can help build up, elevate others, and make this world a better place.

This personal development forum has been one of the better, if not the best, PD sites around!

-------------
Kayceezharold
My Success Plan for Personal Development
The World Thru Kayceez Eyes

[Ronit Baras]

Bix,

I can understand what you mean.
I am a life coach and I myself can see how many coaches and personal development expert can take this amazing filed to a place that is not right.

However

personal development is not about what the coach/expert gives you but about what you choose to take and you can choose waht to take from everyone.

I'm a life coach and I tell all my client, it is a process you go through, not me ( I go through a different prorcess) and it is all about what you take, I can't make you think, feel, do anything. I can encourage you, I can facilitate it, I can forward towards it but you need to make it, you need to pick it up and do it.

So Steve Pavlina can write about anything he likes and only you can make the choice about what to take from it.

If you have that mentality, you can learn from everyone, every kid around you, every poor person, everyone passing by, everyone you meet and it doesn't matter if he wants to make money of it or not.

Remember, if you stick to what you take and not about what they give, you'll be the smartest person on earth.

May the force be with you!
Ronit Baras
The Be Happy in LIFE coach
Be Special, Be Yourself

[evelynlim]

Just because one is in self help, it does not mean that one cannot make a living out of it. Think about Anthony Robbins, Bob Practor, Dr John Gray, they have already made millions, selling seminars, books and tapes.

Writing articles that are more abstract can only come because Steve is in advanced stages of deep understanding. It is not that his articles are no longer relevant but are a reflection of his inner thoughts.

Evelyn

[John Freestone]

I don't know if you're still around, bix, as you started this thread over 2 years ago now and your latest post on the forum is a while ago too. I liked what you said and support you in sharing your feelings, and I am saddened that so many replies demonstrate a failure to listen and a readiness to tell you to go away if it's not for you. I differ from you in that I love all the deep mysterious questions, and that is one thing I like about some of Steve's stuff. But I share your sadness that he has 'gone pro', if that is what has happened. I am new here, so I don't know the history.

I guess, for me, if someone wants to sell practical advice, that's great. As so many have pointed out, we need to live and there's nothing wrong with making a living, but if someone starts getting all spiritual and deep, I distrust their motives if they charge for it, at least if that starts to appear to be important to them, or more important than the help. It is true that you can teach spiritual stuff and charge for it, or stick loads of adverts on the site to make money as it happens, and people are right to say that this does not logically equate with ripping people off or being false or greedy, etc. On the other hand, if you want to share important spiritual ideas and decide to do those things, it is a very natural reaction for your audience to become wary, and if you don't it is a sure sign that you can be trusted not to be in it for the money. Since Steve has developed quite a reasonable passive income already, it seems even less advisable to start making the site a money-spinner, and manifesting money is a big turn off for those who are, like me, sick of the love of money I see all around me....whoops - edit - and in myself!

If someone is supposed to be as advanced as some people round here think Steve is, they could manifest their next meal anytime they wanted, and would not need any money at all. In fact, he has developed such a big fan base that he's never likely to need for anything ever again. Hence, it follows that one possible motive is his ego, his fears of being hungry and lonely and poor or (my theory) stopping. Looking at his background, his obsession with success and efficiency (to the point of advising that men read while shaving so as not to waste 2-3 minutes of the day - I lose that again arguing with librarians about the blood on their books), it is hard for me not to conclude that he is deeply materialistic, and perhaps can't even see it himself, thinking himself ever so evolved. Certainly he doesn't remind me much of the great spiritual teachers (even though they might have ended up being carried around and showered with gifts anyway). He seems to take no heed of warnings about camels getting through needles (even if the kingdom is within rather than behind the clouds). He gives a greedy world the message that you can have your cake and eat it. You can be really evolved, spiritual, loving, helpful to others, and you're better at it the more you get what you want first. And the followers will say "he must be right, look how many clicks he's getting".

It's probably not a great big problem to get all heated about. If you don't click to donate or hand him a cheque, there aren't too many ways he can rip you off, are there? I'm enjoying this process here a lot, and it's cost me nowt yet. Paradoxically, I have grown a helluvalot. You see, I don't think there are evil people to avoid, or that if someone is caught in material stuff or their fears it means you can't learn from them. We're all caught in something (at least I haven't found anyone who isn't yet). I guenuinely believe that Steve is doing his best, like the flawed rest of us. What wise (as opposed to smart) people might take from bix and this is that it's very easy to label someone "good for me", "great", "master", and then forget that they're flawed and take everything he says uncritically (despite him earlier saying not to do that).

NoelKohl, I think it was, said:

I can't believe there are still people who believe lightworkers should be poor and make no money and give of themselves for no return whatsoever.

No, it's a miracle, isn't it, but we're still here.

[John Freestone]

Hi Ballhit,

You said

I would offer the readers of this thread to try the following experiment:

1. Assume Steve Pavlina is doing this all for the money, and subsequently read the blog and see how you view it.
2. Assume Steve Pavlina is doing this all for the light, and subsequently read the blog and see how you view it.
3. Assume you are able to tell the difference between 1 and 2, and then read the blog.

I would offer a fourth optioin:
4. Try to stop making assumptions.

Steve's philosophy wouild itself seem to be strongly based on this last idea, challenging our assumptions so that our view becomes clearer. However, what happens time and again with 'lightworkers' or 'gurus' or whatever they're called is that the power and usefulness of their message builds up a kind of resistance to further challenge, or if you want to put it the other way, it develops more and more of a dogma; it becomes more apparently-solid and dependable than it is. Fans trust the teacher and stop bothering with number 4. It feels lovely to keep reinforcing 2 (and 3, which is also a dangerous assumption, and apparently is the delusion you suffer from).

A clever person like Steve can solve lots of problems. We like the answers. We're amazed we never thought of them and ask how he can do that. He says it's because he's rather clever, and he talks about how we can increase our own cleverness too because he cares about us growing. But before long we're coming to him with our problems because we know how clever he is, or he's doing extra homework to come up with answers to questions that might be raised later, and we're going home with those as well. All of this can make us less attentive, more dependent and stupider, which is something lightworkers often find very exasperating. However, some of them aren't as clever and attentive and awoken as they think, and they believe their own conclusions too much, and they don't reassess their pat phrases, so they too become entrenched in their role, defined by it. As they are human, they fear the end of their powerful position, or get carried away with their brilliance. One way or another, they start becoming less attentive, less flexible, more deluded.

The best ones, I would say, are acutely aware of the danger and constantly point it out. They ask others to challenge them relentlessly, and they take the pee out of themselves and work deliberately at climbing off their own pedestal. I haven't heard enough of Steve to know how much he does this, and it's for each listener to interpret the message; I just don't want people to sleepwalk, all the while chanting about how awake Steve's made them.

[Technicolor Tim]

Bix, if you don't like the site there are plenty of other sites on the internet. Steve Pavlina is free to write what he wants on his site, an d he certainly has no obligation to write according to your needs or wants. Find a site that has material you like, and everybody will be happy.