Good stuff, Molly, especially the part about choices.

But I kinda lost track of what all this had to do with the success industry.

Yes, there are useful tips in facile offerings, sometimes. But this whole "success industry" thing spawns consumption. The meta-message is "to succeed you have to buy this or that."

When I'm telling myself a sad, poor Bruce story, I find it easy to get sucked into the success "promises", thinking someone else will show me the way - even though I know better.

Even though 30 years ago, I realized that the meta-message of schools and most churches was "consume." Get it from the experts. They know best.

But they don't! Except in very technical specific areas like how to make a blog, or shoot a video. I don't think that you can buy your way to success, especially not true, deep success - the kind of success that you can be proud of, and satisified by.

I watched the PBS doc on The Buddha the other night. Awesome!

All about Siddartha's search for ultimate truth. Trying different gurus, pushing himself and his body to extremes of deprivation in order to wrestle his mind into stillness, and finally realizing that the truth he saught was right in front of him, or under him, in the Earth, in the life all around him.

I was very moved by Jane Hirshfield's sum up of his teachings at the end. "Be your own light."

That's why I liked what you said about choices. We do have choices. We can try things, and learn from our mistakes. Failure is just feedback. If it doesn't kill you it makes you stronger.

I think the "success industry" endangers people. It can prevent them from becoming successful, truly successful, because it robs them of the chance to be their own light, to do their own work, and learn from their own experience.

So thanks for the good word on choices, and the recommendation to do the work on your own stories, on your own choices and action. That's where true success will emerge. IMHO. ;-)

Thanks for commenting, Bruce.

My thought about the success industry is that, in reacting against it's overblown promises, I feel I sometimes come across as if success is not possible. In other words, I respond to irresponsible optimism with more pessimism that I intend.

Molly,

I get where you're going with this and in the past I too caught myself judging the intent of information marketers until I decided that the best way to live an optimistic story was from the inside out. So I decided to express authentically, like you do, and offer my own version as an alternative. I think like politicians, most info-marketers and success gurus begin with honorable intentions. Thanks for once again saying out loud what many of us have thought. You've a gift for that.

Tom, thanks for stopping by. You do a wonderful job of guiding people to authentic success.

Love this article, Molly! Despite years and years of personal growth work, it wasn't until the last few years that I really got that I do have a choice about the story of my life. I was so attached to the sad story, I couldn't imagine that a simple shift in perspective could make a difference - a big difference! Of course, I would have to continue to make those simple shifts/choices 20, 40, 100 times a day - and let go of the idea that some incredible, magical program would give me success overnight, with little or no effort on my part (the bs factor).

What I am appreciating is the richness and joy of making "better" choices, choices that support my vision rather than keeping me under that heavy, wet-wool blanket! My resources are so much more bountiful from a more optimistic frame of mind! Imagine that!

"There's a big difference between seeing through a scam and being preoccupied with it."

I love this.

This post - and your writing in general - offers a clear way to see through the scams (particularly the ones I create in my own mind) so I can find my way on the path of authentic success.

Well thought out article and so true! choices...yes so true.

since I am a part of the success industry" I have found that the sad story doesn't fit my style. I do believe a happy story can have some "I was lost and now I'm found" moments.

As a professional storyteller I can spot the scam story pretty easy now. Touching folks emotions is what speakers do....but I hope for the right reasons.

Keep up the good work and much success!

Thanks Molly!
You describe 'the voice' as a feeling in your stomach and as I read this article I felt that feeling...I think it's precisely because of your knack, as Tom Volkar said, for "saying out loud what many of us have thought."
Yes, it's important to invest in your success (however you define that). Yet too often it feels like there's a false emphasis placed on the money form of investing and too little on application of what one learns.
Between information products and results lies a path with no name. No one takes those steps for you. Yet sometimes a nudger, an inspirer, an instigator, an illuminator can be just the thing to get my eyes off the past/future and onto the present moment with all its rich opportunity for action.
Thanks for your boldly pragmatic brand of optimism!

Kamala: I love that you point out it's not one choice, or even 10, but multiple choices made day in and day out. When we let go of magical thinking and step into choice, its' amazing what can happen.

Eric: xox.

Mike: Welcome. Yes, touching emotions is part of the storyteller's (and teacher's job). Railing against that is silly. We lose the value of so much inspiration when we confuse a great story with phoniness.

Roslynn: Yes, learning is the real reward. Money is the booby prize. A nice boody prize, but the booby prize, nonetheless.

Life is all lessons. to live life in resistance is to blind ourselves from seeing the truth. Happiness cannot be without sadness, success cannot be without failures, light cannot be found if we never have been in the dark. The wisdom about everything lies within us; being, observing,learning and evolving should be our response to all facets of our existence. :-)

Thanks so very much, Molly. Inspiring me (others) with your authentic questions seems to be your true nature. The work you've REALLY done -- making sense of the lessons in your life -- have been truly healing, empowering and downright fun/funny to identify with. As always, I relate to what you're learning and so appreciate your favorite influences, like Byron Katie and others you've shared with us in this latest blog.

Because I love these ideas, I thought you might like some great quotes that seem to ALSO get at what you've said (above).

"That which doesn't kill us makes us stronger." ~ Friedrich Nietzsche, "Twilight of the Idols"

"One must still have chaos in oneself to give birth to a dancing star." ~ Friedrich Nietzsche

"If you hate a person, you hate something in him [or her] that is part of yourself. What isn't part of ourselves doesn't disturb us." ~ Herman Hesse

“Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves.” ~ C.G. Jung

“The darknesses we don’t bring to light may kill us.” ~ Gospel of St. Thomas (70)

“The illusion of freedom is that it is getting away from things you don’t like. Freedom is working with what is.” ~ Jerilyn Munyon

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One more really great thing I love to note is that both Jesus and Siddartha Gautama (Buddha) supposedly told their students who were worried about who'll be their guide after their teacher's death. Both answered, "Be a lamp unto yourselves."

You're a natural philosopher, Molly. What's more, you are a teacher who lives (imperfectly, of course) what she teaches. What hasn't been vetted by your embodied experience doesn't get shared by you, in my experience.

In all my years of teaching world philosophies, I only aspired to live the best of what I taught... the good news, it's still good stuff to have in my mental repertoire!

Thank you, Walter and Jennifer, for sharing the timeless wisdom that points us back always to our own thoughts.

Thanks for coining the term "success industry". I found your blog via a comment by you on Jonathan Fields blog. I have to say another turn off of the "success industry" for me is when bloggers refer to other bloggers and publishers as "my friend", when they have no past relationship with the person and haven't even met them!