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The Benefit of Simplicity (1 of 2)

© Matt Danielson

I recently got a letter from a young man who, like so many others, read a "study" about some guy who supposedly gained a double-digit amount of pounds of muscle while losing another double-digit amount of fat in a couple of weeks. Of course, it was all thanks to this fabulous new supplement, coincidently manufactured by the same company that held the "study" and paid for the ad.

Needless to say, such results, even with HEAVY use of illegal drugs, are extremely improbable to be for real. Still, you're supposed to be so tempted by the impossible that you shell out the money. They want you to be yet another loser. And, if I may add, they're insulting you by trying to sell you such an obvious cock-a-bull story.

They know that you'll never even get close to the results pictured in the ads, and guess what? It gets worse: They want you to fail! When I say "They," I'm talking about the companies that constantly push new and flashy "miracle" products. And before you start talking about me having some crazy consipiracy-theories, think about it as business. If you're being told that you can achieve something great if you do it a certain way, don't you get discouraged when you fail miserably in spite of doing it "right"? Soon despair sets in, the self-confidence plummets, and you start reaching for straws. That's when even the most ridiculous claims and products starts getting tempting. That's when they want you to start thinking: "I KNOW this is probably bogus... But what if THIS one is for real? That would save me!" Then you fail, despair, buy the next "straw" and so on.

If you're on a long-term, consistent plan and know what you're doing, you're much more critical about their products. That's bad business for them. If they can make you jump off your plan and trade it for a "quick fix," they love you. Especially since they know you'll be coming back.

To wrap it all up, only losers trade the opportunity to actually DO something, for the DREAM of getting something unachievable for free. I don't think you're a loser, and I don't think you're aspiring to be one either. So, if you're young, a beginner, or simply haven't taken the time to bury your nose all that deeply into the books, let's take a walkthrough of the basics. Remember, in order to get real, lasting results, you have to do what it takes. "Shortcuts" and heavily hyped mumbo-jumbo usually make little or no difference, if you're not putting in the ground work.

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