It never ceases to amaze me how much ‘hype’ is sold at events. And I say this because I’ve seen it time and time again,

experienced it first hand, had conversations with clients who have ‘fallen’ for it and read an ever-growing mountain of stories about it.

June 2016 I was invited by a close friend to a book writing event in London. Now, I love writing and have written books before, even going as far as getting one professionally edited, but not published. Admittedly this book was tied to a course being developed but its content was relevant with or without the course so on reflection it was probably a lack of confidence that left it on the shelf. But I digress; back to the event…

The event was informative and I enjoyed it, I got some useful tips and met some lovely people. However, the ‘sell’ was somewhere in the region of 30k to get a book up & running and then use it to market my business. Yes, you heard it, 30k! What I now find quite amusing is that my friend and I sat there considering how we might make it work… really?! Brain cells had left the building and the hype had taken hold. Fortunately, we signed nothing 😊

One month later I had a book title having asked some friends, clients and business associates for their opinion and I began planning my latest book. I used the system explained at the event and whilst I liked the system, what I ended up with seemed inauthentic; it was too happy clappy, not a realistic reflection of my personal experience that was filled with many highs and lows on the journey to being the best version of me (yep, still on it!)

2 months on I am contacted out of the blue by a company looking to manage and market a group of global educators representing a wide variety of fields (health, personal development, spiritual leadership etc) and their goal totally resonated with what I wanted for 2017 and beyond. I joined the team and 2 months later I had my book completed, written in a way that was authentic, heart driven and simple; all achieved with the team’s guidance & coaching.

This company was hype-free, relatively low-key in their approach, taking the time to reach out to specific people who they felt fit their remit, and they have proved to be dynamic, passionate and supportive in every way. Finally, I feel at home.

In the 6 month relationship I have had with the team, I have:

1. Written and published my book
2. Become a No.1 Bestselling Author on Amazon
3. Completed a teaching segment based on the book
4. Created an online product
5. Had exposure via newspaper & radio
6. Become part of an amazing team of global teachers about to launch an online self-improvement T.V channel
7. Aligned my daily work with my key goals and life dreams

So, what is my message here? Be aware! There are plenty of thought leaders and professionals out there doing a great job who really want to take you on your journey to success (as defined by you), and equally, there are those who over promise and under deliver as well as use unnecessary verbal force to get you onside.

What to watch out for in the world of hype:

1. “If you don’t take this opportunity now, you will never do anything” (yes you will, when you’re ready and being ready is a key part of taking the information and turning it into actionable steps)
2. “If you need to go away and think about it, you’ll talk yourself out of doing it” (maybe, maybe not – that’s called choice)
3. “How long do you need to make a decision? We’ll call you” – I’m sure some of this is well-meant, however, having witnessed a friend hounded by a company to get on board (and I mean hounded daily ‘why aren’t you buying this, you need this now type of approach), share your full contact details at your own peril
4. “Talk to the team if you need some time to talk with your loved one(s), fill in the form with all your credit card details and we’ll give you 48 hours to cancel before we process the payment” (this is not too bad but remember, if you forget to call the payment will be processed. And even if you can get it back, it might take some time)
5. “Look at me in this photo with all these super successful well-known entrepreneurs & business leaders”. If you’ve got the cash, you can get the photo opportunity too. Don’t be too impressed by the glitzy photos; what people are saying about the service & product from experience will give you more insight (even though each of those is based on perception).

Times when the hype doesn’t matter:

• When it feels right and the message resonates with you
• When you believe it’s going to help you get to the next level in your life &/or business
• When you are READY to do the work. The biggest mistake people make is signing up to programmes and then failing to follow through on the work and then blaming the product or service; not cool – the work will not do itself
• When your emotional intelligence can cut through the ‘flashy sell’ to the substance and you don’t get caught up in the ‘quick, go now, do this immediately’ patter

For the best part I believe a lot of the products for personal development do work (much like most diets work) but they are not all the right fit for you, they aren’t always in front of you at the time most appropriate to you and the person behind the product is not always the voice that resonates most with you. So be careful and think first because once you jump in, you need to commit 100%…

Live Blissfully,

YvonneB