I like to think that people are inherently good. I don’t like the idea that everyone is self-serving and self-absorbed. The world would look pretty depressing and bleak if this were the case. Unfortunately the media does a very good job of displaying all of the negative traits people possess. Turn on the television and you will see all sorts of infomercials and different products claiming to help you reach your goal quickly. In my opinion, people are always looking for the quickest and easiest way to achieve their goals. So, it’s no surprise that people get lured into all of the wonderful claims the companies make. I would love to think that the companies always have our best interest in mind, but when evaluating some of the company’s claims, their intent seems skeptical.

The majority of society spends a great deal of time trying to be successful financially as well as physically and psychologically, no one every wants to be a failure. But there are the companies or people that are greedy and are willing to take advantage of others for their own personal gain. It upsets me to see people so quick to take advantage of other people. I wish we could create a Utopia where everyone fulfilled all of their goals and follow all of their dreams. I think it is possible to live that kind of life as long as we don’t get drawn into following these quick fix schemes.

This past weekend I went to the Learning Annex Conference in Chicago. For those of you who haven’t heard the thousands of advertisements on the radio or television, it is a conference for the aspiring entrepreneur. The Learning Annex brings in numerous famous presenters to share information with you on various topics. This year Donald Trump, Robert Kiyosaki, Suze Orman, and Anthony Robbins were the keynote speakers. On top of them, there were about 20 other lesser known presenters. I went with the hopes of learning some new information to help make my business more successful. The conference makes all sorts of claims of how, by attending, you will achieve everything you ever wanted. Going in I knew to be skeptical, but if I learned one new bit of information it would be worth it.

Listening to the presenters turned out to be very disappointing except for a few. The majority of the speakers were there hocking their products to the easily persuaded. They spent the entire presentation getting you psychologically and emotionally attached to their ideas. Then at the end they say, if you want to learn how to be successful like me buy my programs. These programs end up being thousands of dollars. It’s shocking to see how many people stand up and immediately head to the cash register to spend their hard earned money in chase of a dream. They had to share my naivety that the presenters honestly had to care and wanted to help. I have to admit that even though I knew what to expect, some of the presenters were very compelling and almost got me to believe them.

I attended the seminar with the hopes of learning all sorts of good information, but walked out more disappointed than encouraged. I wasn’t so discouraged about my potential success in life. I was disappointed with how willing the presenters were to take advantage of the attendees.

How does this pertain to health and fitness? I find the same thing taking place all the time with companies trying to sell different supplements or pieces of equipment to get you in shape quicker. I know I have commented on this many times before, but it continues to bother me how eager people are to jump at the next opportunity to try something new. If getting in shape just required one pill a day or a piece of equipment off of an infomercial everyone would look great. Unfortunately that isn’t the case. For the most part you are just wasting your money and in some cases actually threatening your health.

The gambling industry is a multi billion dollar a year industry. Everyone is trying to strike it rich at the role of the dice or the flip of the cards. Then take into account the National Lottery and how much that makes every year. Yes, a lottery ticket is a form of gambling. If only people were willing to spend their time and money more constructively everyone would achieve their goals. As a society, we are led to believe that the quick fix will work and it is the easiest way. If something seems too good to be true, unfortunately, it probably is. I am like everyone else, wishing for an easier way to stay in shape or get rich quick. But realistically it’s not going to happen.

Please for your own good, avoid any of the products or companies that claim to help you achieve anything quicker than it would reasonably take. I don’t want people to have all sorts of high expectations and tumble on what were false hopes. People work too hard to waste their precious time and money on the greed of somebody else. I am writing this to try to save people from getting hurt.

Part of the joy in life is the journey to achieve ones goals. Be patient and learn to appreciate the daily activities you perform to be the best you can be. Take pride in helping others when they are in need. Feel encouraged when you are able to resist the tempting food in front of you. Reward yourself when you consistently workout. Be happy that you are alive and well. If you are able to recognize and appreciate all of these things in your life you will be less tempted to fall prey to some greedy person.

Life is too short to waste it being unhappy or unfulfilled. It is good to have high expectations and goals. Make sure that you consistently take action to achieve your goals. I promise that if you take action everyday you won’t need any help from a quick fix scheme. Excellence takes time. You are capable of more than you could imagine. Always remember that.

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