I Want it NOW!!!

We’ve all been seduced at times with the promises of instant change; I’m far from the exception. The problem is…it doesn’t exist, or to put it more precisely, it’s so very rare that it’s almost impossible to measure. And nowhere is the promise of instant change more commonly touted than within the self help industry.

I saw a book title recently by an author that I respect a lot. The subtitle was “how to change your child’s attitude, behaviour and character in 5 days.”

Now I don’t know about you, but I’ve been working on my own attitude, behaviour and character for the last 20 years and I figure I’ve still got a lot more work to do, so is it even remotely believable to promote such monumental change in a child in 5 days?!?!?!?!?!

I smell an overzealous sales organization that gets the last say on the title of this author’s book. Remember, their job is to sell as many books as possible, and they’ve decided to do so in this case...even it means a complete abandoning of obvious logic.

And what is the outcome of this sort of exaggeration?

It creates false hope, which is sure to fail, because of course, it’s FALSE!

False hope creates unrealistic pressure on an individual and actually decreases the chances of positive change.

Learning that is sustainable is vital to increasing hope and the ability to grow. Nothing is worse that setting the bar of expectation for ourselves too high, too soon.

Imagine sending your kids to a school that made outlandish promises like the above mentioned one - “Kindergarten to grade 6 in only 2 years! Yes you heard right parents. No more need for years of schooling for your children, we’re now able to accomplish miracles by cramming 7 years of education into only 2 years. Amazing!!!! Don’t Hesitate! Order Now! Spots are Limited! Don’t Miss Out!”

Just say "No" to false hope!