❀ the cult of: ➥motivational speakers ➥life coaches ➥personal growth gurus ➥new-age charlatans ➥AWESOMENESS FEST

OK this thread...
Basically I was at work, bored, saw a 500 message thread and thought "hey, this loooks like fun". Read the first post and then had a holy shit moment. That company you talk about gr8080, mindvalley, i know like half the people who work there. I live in KL and all those mindvalley people are people I know and see at parties and stuff. Some of them are friends. I recognise most of the names quoted in this thread and some of the people in those videos. And yeah even though I see them often I still have no idea what the fuck it is they do.

Anyways, yeah, mindvalley is a fucking cult. It is scary. A cult with a lot of hot girls. And a couple of guys thrown in there to make it look like it's not only girls. When the founder, Vishen, shows up at a party you can always spot him: he's the guy with a group of girls hanging around him and listening to his every word like he's the greatest thing ever. But tbh most of the people I've met who work there are quite nice. But don't get them talking about their jobs cos then they'll just bore the hell out of you with how awesome their company is.

Also I skimmed the thread and at some point someone explained briefly how this was a scam that works on affiliates etc. If there's anyway you could on in more detail about that, I'd love to understand how that works :D

welcome!

(thx but tbh this is not my real account, i just created a new one on the off chance someone from mindvalley ever set foot on ilx and this thread... when i saw the thread i hoped it was on 77)

Namaste, KLurker! Interesting that these mindvalley folks are at parties. May I ask what kind of parties?

oh shit rare opportunity for information from a primary source. please say more Klurker! when you ask them about their jobs, in addition to explaining how awesome it is, do they ever describe what they actually do that provides value to customers?

Dear Mindvalley, I was surprised to discover that I did not at all enjoy the punch in the nutsack I purchased from you. I have been trying for weeks to return the punch in the nutsack, but have not heard back from your organization.

Dear Mindvalley, You don't know who I am but I know who you are and I know what you done. You had sex with my mother and then you stole my dad's money all away.

heads up, y'all: 2012 will not be the end of the world:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTsKRAHqrf0

― ⚓ (gr8080), Thursday, February 2, 2012 1:10 AM

just got around to watching this..... did anyone make it to the 4:00 mark? video footage of his "session" with an "energy healer"?!!@#

is that the one where he talks about the "25 bad habits" that some unnamed teacher taught him stop people from getting rich? and one of them is "your parents said rich people are bad."

terrible habit

its so funny that the whole message behind all this shit is that people just CANT ACCEPT WEALTH, and if they'd learn to open their hearts to it, they'd get it. i guess that is like a reductio ad absurdum version of right-wing philosophy... JUST BE RICH DUDES

"lets just clear that from your heart" *awkward hand gesture like the air is an ipad screen*

is that the one where he talks about the "25 bad habits" that some unnamed teacher taught him stop people from getting rich? and one of them is "your parents said rich people are bad."

― the jazz zinger (s1ocki), Friday, February 3, 2012 10:43 AM

haha yes! but srsly go to the 4 min mark

new-age capitalism

crystal profits

yes i keep thinking about a post but not really getting it right -- something about how this stuff is about all of these concepts in the vaguest sense HEALTH, MONEY, HAPPINESS, SPIRIT etc, but like fanatically avoidant of, idk, anything a reasonable adult would feel s/he would have to content with in getting those things: work, politics, psychology, history, religion, family.

crystal profits

― i will see u later. (am0n), Friday, February 3, 2012 9:47 AM (1 minute ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

^^^totally a right-wing porn name

yes i keep thinking about a post but not really getting it right -- something about how this stuff is about all of these concepts in the vaguest sense HEALTH, MONEY, HAPPINESS, SPIRIT etc, but like fanatically avoidant of, idk, anything a reasonable adult would feel s/he would have to content with in getting those things: work, politics, psychology, history, religion, family.

― Critique of Pure Moods (goole), Friday, February 3, 2012 10:49 AM (3 minutes ago

this stuff seems tied to things that, imo, people don't need to be happy. wealth, huge house, perfect body, perfect health, fame, being exceptional, loved by all, etc. consumerism kinda leads people the wrong way about what's valuable in life, I think... so it's like, do these people lack the ability to direct their own meaning in life in the face of it? who knows. a bummer regardless.

studies have shown that above ~60k/year salary there is no appreciable change in reported happiness

well i think they're kind of splitting the difference, like 1st you get all your worldly/material concerns taken care of and then you can focus on, like, meditation or some amorphous concept about making the world a better place for others.

no they're about having it all at once

like, making money THROUGH making a world a better place by selling the secret seminars or whatever

i think i'm thinking specifically about the wp m4ge guy and his ilk and their thing which is basically you need to get out of the corporate world and find something that lets you generate income with no cost to your time, then you can follow your dreamz.

but you're right mindvalley seems to characterize it more in the way you're describing

the moment at 4:00 in that video that am0n is talking about is so great--hes there with this new age healer and is like "making $30 million dollars with my business" and shes like, "lets just get that out of there... [& u think: because, you know, happiness isnt about money] ...because why have limits?" why indeed

im still kind of mystified by the quantum jumping video, where they dont really talk at all about quantum jumping, but about the guy's really valuable paintings, and i am amazed that people seem to follow that doddering old dude

this is like the hardcore fringe of the the locavore/free trade etc thing where u want to help the world but youre so fully identified w/being a consumer that all you can do is purchase or not purchase things

and facilitate other ppl's purchases

yeah, that's interesting about mindvalley ... it's all about helping the world and shit. pretty good schtick. think it hits the low-self esteem / confused thing in a similar way ... reminds me of Eric Hoffer in the True Believer talking about people finding causes because they're unhappy or lost in their lives.

is there any specificity about how, exactly, mindvalley acolytes are helping the world

no idea, just basing it off the ad copy. i have no idea how you connect that with the products they sell.

yeah thats what i mean -- it feels like viral marketing for a movie or something, like theres absolutely no specificity about anything, theyve reached max buzzword saturation

its like a horse_ebooks website

People with low self-esteem want to save the world because it makes them feel important. Messed up people always wanting to fix other peoples lives. You can be pretty, drive a sporty red car, and be everybody's hero. Like be a princess that's against land mines. Plus be on a boat.

If you offer something concrete people can think critically about it.

yeah its that "because why have limits?" moment all over again.

http://i.imgur.com/W8AXn.jpg

yeah thats what i mean -- it feels like viral marketing for a movie or something, like theres absolutely no specificity about anything, theyve reached max buzzword saturation

― max, Friday, February 3, 2012 11:20 AM (25 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

this should be your new login

is there any specificity about how, exactly, mindvalley acolytes are helping the world

― max, Friday, February 3, 2012 6:13 AM (31 minutes ago)

might just be lip-service, but there's this at least: http://www.mindvalley.com/planet-first/

KLurker come back!!!!!

i want to hear mindvalley party stories!!! post facebook pictures!!!

Mindvalley
This philosophy (high impact + fun = Mindvalley style) has fueled the development of some of the most-talked about initiatives we’ve launched. And on 3 – 6 November 2011 in Hawaii, we held what’s turning out to be THE hottest personal growth movement on the planet – Awesomeness Fest. Read more here: http://www.mindvalley.com/blog/awesome-causes-2011/.
Reply · 1 · · January 17 at 10:24am

u missed out gr80

i know i'm so bummed. but it was on a different island and i was hella busy with work that week.

i really want to go to awesomeness fest 2012, guys. maybe i should start a coaching website now?

this could be your logo

http://www.presentermedia.com/files/clipart/00002000/2859/referee_blow_whistle_md_wm.jpg

this is like the hardcore fringe of the the locavore/free trade etc thing where u want to help the world but youre so fully identified w/being a consumer that all you can do is purchase or not purchase things
― lag∞n, Friday, February 3, 2012 10:08 AM (54 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

truth bomb

oh man I am totally the guy who is either purchasing or not purchasing things :(

I blame the gameification of personal finance

otm

I imagine conversations between these people go a lot like this.

i thought that said gentrification of personal finance

did personal finance need to be gamified anymore than it was naturally?