I'm tired of 'gurus'
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It feels like every time I venture to watch anything on YouTube I invariably get advertised to by some self-proclaimed guru telling me that they have found the quickest and easiest way to get rich, make money or invest in real estate, crypto or a host of other things.
Often they stand in front of expensive cars and luxury houses whilst intermittently showing screenshots of their bank or trading accounts to ‘prove’ how good their system is… do you know the videos I’m talking about?
Let me share a couple of thoughts I have every time I see these videos. First, standing in front of expensive things or showing me screenshots proves absolutely nothing. I could create a video today that made me look like a millionaire. But it would be a lie. I’m happy to be proved wrong, but I’m confident that the vast majority of these ‘gurus’ are using deceptive imagery to prey on our lusts to entice us into buying their overpriced courses or programs.
Second. If your idea is so good and you’ve made so many millions or even hundreds of thousands of dollars applying your system in the past 12-months, why are you making these ridiculous videos? When I think about the wealthiest and most successful people in any given field, they aren’t creating YouTube ads trying to push sales of their latest course. They are either sharing their knowledge for free or they are writing books, launching podcasts or giving seminars that provide knowledge, tools and expertise.
I think these YouTube gurus are preying on the desperate. Desperate for money, desperate for change, and the desperately lonely and insecure. It’s not that you can’t or won’t make money doing any of the things these people are suggesting, but my advice would be to find someone more credible to help you if that’s what you want to pursue. It’s also worth noting that most of the wealthy people in this world didn’t get there by following some YouTube guru!
They became wealthy by living within their means, staying out of debt and consistently investing and saving.
What do you think? I realize I am seeing from my perspective, do you see it differently? Share your thoughts in the comments.
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I can’t stand those videos, either, largely for the same reasons, but I think that’s because we’re not their target audience. YouTube’s non-spiritually guided algorithm thinks our search for happiness is found in those things in which moth doth corrupt.
We all want money, we all need money. But you and I aren’t going to spend it on cars and big houses. We’re going to spend it on making memories with our families.
On a side note, if YouTube was around when Dave Ramsey was taking off, I bet he’d have a ton of videos on there. Haha.