“There are no shortcuts to any place worth going.” – Beverly Sills
Hey, you. Yeah you! Are you tired of going to the gym several times a week? Don’t you just hate it that you have spent so much time and money already on different pills, cremes, potions and exercise equipment that just didn’t work?
Are you tired of having to exert so much effort whilst others just get the results they’re looking for?
I know exactly how you feel. Therefore you should try this Secret Chinese Herb; The-Magical-Green-Mountain-Goat-Toenail-Extract®! It has helped me lose over 10kg in one week!
…
Is it too obvious?
Maybe the mountain goat part gave it away… Everyone knows those aren’t magical. That right is reserved for unicorns only, duuh.
—————————————–
**Does It Work?
**
Do people really fall for stuff like that? All these “grand” marketing claims that will provide you with exactly what you’re looking for in life without exerting any effort and spending the least amount of time on it?
In my opinion I’d have to say yes. People buy into the get x-quick scheme of things. How else would you explain the massive amounts of products catered to these requests?
For example;
(Click To Enlarge (no pun intended))
6 Seconds
Revolutionary
Magnetic
Easy Way to Fast Cash
Shortcuts
King Kong Dong
Easily & Instantly.
700%
Note;
I haven’t actually tried any of the products mentioned above. I’m not stating they don’t work but rather that I question their legitimacy.
Why Does It Work?
I said before in my post/video on “Walking The Narrow Road” that it is human tendency to move away from pain and into pleasure. It’s easier to fall into things that give you instant pleasure and no pain than it is to push trough the resistance we face whilst changing ourselves.
For Example;
- Fast Food
- Drugs
- Alcohol
- Narcotics
- Sugar
- …
But as many studies have proven time and time again these habits are not good for us in the long-term. Over-indulgence has led to many different problems in our modern world.
So now you’re probably wondering why we have a system that is (at first sight) self-sabotaging? Why does our body/mind drift towards things that aren’t good for us? Wouldn’t it be more logical for self-preservation to disregard those destructive habits?
The reason why we do this is because it is instinctively programmed in our bodies to move away from stress!
Cause & Effect
We’re always putting our bodies under great amounts of constant stress. That’s what weve always been doing. But when we compare our current life with our older Neanderthal cousins we can quickly conclude that our life is a breeze. Neanderthals had to face harsh weather conditions, fear of starvation, finding shelter, wild animals (bears and sabertooth tigers) and many more constantly.
Therefore our bodies and mind had to adapt to this situation by creating a system that allowed our bodies to stay in balance/stay the same.
The scientific term for this concept is called (psychological) Homeostasis.
“homeostasis will prevent our body from making drastic changes and maintain stability in our lives even if it is detrimental to us. Examples include; when an obese person starts exercising, homeostasis in the body resists the activity to maintain stability” – George Leonard in “Mastery”
We look for constant mental and physical equilibrium.
Yet, if we didn’t have this system, our mind/body wouldn’t be able to handle all the stresses we faced in life and as a result we would have fallen into a state of disease. We needed homeostasis (and still do now, but to a much lesser extent). It allowed us to work better, be healthier, feel better & look better.
But currently our basic needs are mostly fulfilled and survival is guaranteed. Unless you still;
- Sleep outside in ice cold weather
- Need to hunt for your food
- Wrestle bears on the weekend
Which you don’t, I hope…
But… Here’s the kicker;
We haven’t adapted yet, since these changed have happened only very recently. Our instincts are still activated and focused on fulfilling the basic needs whilst our head is telling us to stay away from stresses.
“There’s been no biological change in humans in 40,000 or 50,000 years. Everything we call culture and civilization we’ve built with the same body and brain – Stephen J. Gould
So, what do we do?
we eat junk food,
we drink soda’s
we sleep longer,
we exercise less,
we play video games,
Result?
We fall into what is called “affluence/wealth diseases” which are basically the results of our over-indulgence in the habits that don’t support us. Obesity, addictions and depressions galore.
And as a result of those diseases we want to get “healthy” again! (see the weird contradicting way in which we’ve wired our brain?)
And off-course the marketers respond to those problems…
The Quick Fix Hoax
Basically whenever we look for one of those desirable results like losing weight, getting rich, being muscled, growing taller and whatnot we’re looking for the least amount of pain and the most amount of pleasure. We want the pill, the book, the secret method, the guide that will get us the results we want – and we want them pronto!
Marketers base their products around what we want (not what we need). If people want to get rich quick they’ll come up with a product that can fulfill that need in an efficient manner as possible. Although some of these products can actually work I’m trying to make you aware of how product creators address your wants.
Can We Blame Them?
Off-course marketing a product is really important. Who would buy a product called “Get Ripped & Muscled Slowly By Eating Healthy And Working Out Really Hard 5 Times A Week”?
No-one.
The reason why people are looking for advice/a book/mentor-ship is because they want to save time and energy. Basically, they want to get from point A (their current situation) to point B (their desired situation) as efficiently as possible and therefore these marketers address those desires.
However not all product creators have your best interests at heart and therefore will resort to these grand marketing claims without having the value to actually back it up. Therefore it’s critical to be aware of how they’re sometimes tricking you.
Look more for the things that you need instead of the things you want.
A great rule of thumb I use when it comes to filtering out scams;
If it sounds too good to be true then it probably is.
Stop Looking For A Quick Fix!
Quick fixes won’t get you to the place you want to be. They are more detrimental to your well-being in the long-term than you realize.
For Instance:
- What would happen if you did get rich quick?
- What would happen if you did lose all the weight you wanted very fast?
- What would happen if you could gain a lot of muscle in no time at all?
You’d be worse off.
Don’t believe me?
Evelyn Adams
She won the lottery (twice!) in 1985 an 1986 for about 5.4$ million total. However she spent a great deal of her money on a gambling addiction and giving large sums to friends and family. By 2001 she was living in a trailer.
How Winning The Lottery Can Ruin Your Life
David Smith
He lost over 400lbs (180kg) only to gain it all back again. He describes how the person in the mirror wasn’t who he thought he was trough the rapid change he went trough. He was keeping up appearances (1:38)
Aziz Shaversian
Better known as “Zyzz” was an Australian bodybuilder and internet celebrity. By linking his identity and masculinity to bodybuilding, he looked for a shortcut to being ripped and muscled (anabolic steroids). Despite inspiring millions of young men to live a healthier life he passed away at the age of 22 trough heart failure.
You don’t want the results too fast. We aren’t able to handle a million dollars because we haven’t become “a million dollar man”. We aren’t able to handle losing so much weight since we haven’t become “mentally fit”. We can’t compensate what we lack on the inside with quick-fix outer appearances.
We can’t sustain quick fix changes. Real change happens slowly and gradually.
“It’s not about what we get, but about who we become” – Elliott Hulse
Essence
With this post I want to make you more aware of the fact how we’re self-sabotaging our-self sometimes, why we do this and why you should be conscious of what it is that you desire most. Remind yourself often that you should be focusing on growing over time.
Here’s what you should take away from this post;
- Change takes time, action and consistency
- Quick fix schemes do not work, stay away from them
- Gradual change is lasting change
Focus on becoming the person that is able to become physically fit, focus on becoming the person that is able to earn a million dollars, focus on becoming a man, focus on becoming attractive to women.
Focus on creating yourself ;)
What Quick-Fix Are You Falling For At the moment?
Anyway, that’s all I have to say for today.
If you feel like this post can help anyone out that you know, feel free to share it with your friends or send it in a mail to your mom! It helps me out a lot! If you’re having any thoughts or questions on this topic, feel free to share those with me in the comment section below.
Take care,
Love,
Simon
****Note;
****A friend of mine has some more incredible insights and practical advice on these concepts in his book on How To Break Out Of Homeostasis (He’s currently re-writing it, but I believe it will definitely be worth a look when it’s done)