They Want to "Help You Succeed" Like Them

They Want to "Help You Succeed" Like Them. There are some who genuinely help, but the rest are just plain greedy. Here's how to identify them.

In today's fast-paced digital world, promises of easy success and wealth flood the internet. Many self-proclaimed entrepreneurs and online coaches claim to have the ultimate formula for financial success and personal growth. While some genuinely offer value (most of them have the character of nonjoiners), others are merely exploiting people under the guise of mentorship. These individuals don't truly intend to help you succeed—they use you to fuel their own success while pocketing the profits.

How to Identify the Deceptive "Success Gurus"

Photo by charlesdeluvio on Unsplash.

1. They Focus More on Selling Dreams Than Providing Real Strategies

These individuals often market themselves through flashy social media posts, luxurious lifestyles, and exaggerated testimonials. They promise instant results without emphasizing the actual work, skills, or dedication required for success. Instead of offering concrete strategies, they keep the conversation vague, making it seem as though you only need to "trust the process" and pay for their exclusive program.

2. They Require Large Payments Before Delivering Any Value

Legitimate business mentors offer free insights, educational content, or at least transparent previews of their methods before asking for money. Scammers, on the other hand, pressure you into paying up-front for courses, coaching, or membership fees while withholding actual valuable content. They might say things like, “Invest in yourself!” or “If you’re truly serious about success, you won’t hesitate to pay.” 

3. Their Success Stories Are Vague or Unrealistic

Watch out for misleading testimonials or exaggerated claims. They may flaunt screenshots of huge earnings, but these numbers could be manipulated. Additionally, they rarely show real-life, detailed examples of past clients who have genuinely succeeded because of their program. If they do, the testimonials are often broad and lack measurable proof.

4. They Make You Dependent on Their System

Rather than teaching fundamental skills that allow you to independently grow, they ensure that you keep paying for “advanced” courses or continued mentorship. They market each step of their process as essential so that you’re always investing more money without actually gaining meaningful progress.

5. They Use Psychological Pressure and Manipulation

Many deceptive mentors use emotional tactics to pressure people into joining their programs. They often say things like:

- “The reason you’re failing is that you’re not taking action.”

- “Successful people don’t hesitate—they invest in themselves.”

- “This offer is only available for a limited time. Don’t miss out!”

These statements are designed to make you feel like success is slipping away unless you act immediately.

How to Protect Yourself

Do thorough research: Look up unbiased reviews, search forums, and investigate their claims before committing.

Seek real experts that are not greedy: Focus on individuals with proven credibility, valuable content, and transparent success stories.

Learn independently: It may take you time, even years (but it's still much better than being scammed), but invest in your education by reading books, taking reputable courses, and networking with genuine professionals.

Avoid rushing decisions: Never let urgency pressure you into paying for something without verifying its legitimacy.

Success should be based on tangible skills, smart decisions, and real opportunities—not hype and misleading promises. Stay skeptical, trust your instincts, and focus on real knowledge rather than the illusion of instant wealth.

How Easily Does Your Social Mindset See Potential?

Perceptive or myopic? This is how you find out.

One look and you instantly see if something has potential or not. You easily see value or profitability. You see through things, especially the prospects of something new being introduced in the market even if it hasn't been proven worth something yet. That's being perceptive. Are you perceptive or do you always need proofs first?

Photo by Hermes Rivera on Unsplash.

On the other hand, myopic is when you're unable to see things until they're up-close, sometimes too close to do anything about them anymore--like dodge from harm or grab an opportunity when it first appears. You don't see good or bad a mile away so you need to get so close first, but then you find things out too late. Are you myopic? Then you're prone to being victimized.

Myopic Folks Never Take Risks

Myopic folks very seldom take risks and they think it's an advantage. And indeed many times it is. Caution often puts you in the right place. Myopics never put a foot in unless they're absolutely sure what's in store. To see is to believe. Sigurista. Their "faith" is based on what is seen. They fear stepping out in faith. 

But truth is, there's nothing sure in this world. If you can't take risks, you'd always be a step or two behind everything and everyone. You let daring people jump in first to test the waters and wait and see. It's a safe zone, but a bit too safe at times that you're always the last guy to know. And by then it's already too late.

Anyway, the last I looked in the bible, faith is seeing and being sure of the unseen. If you need to see proof first and call it faith, you're missing the whole point. Watch this:

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for (or "see" in our minds) and assurance about what we do not see. [Hebrews 11] 

Spiritual Potentials 

There is a right time to make sure about things or being a sigurista. Like, making sure a belief or idea is in God's Word before being sold out entirely to it. But having second thoughts about something already clear in Scriptures? Like, performing on-the-spot signs and wonders or doing exactly as Jesus did? A lot of believers still have reservations and cannot imagine the supernatural taking place, especially if it's them doing it. See how shortsighted? They need to see proofs or some theological basis or proven formula accepted by the mainstream. Moreover, they cannot see it's value today, thinking it optional. 

Yes, they believe miracles happened in bible times, but they fail to see their real potential today. They cannot step out in faith because they're short-sighted or unimaginative. Worse, they think it's something they can do without in ministry. Even if they know it's Scriptural, they want to see human theology endorsing it first (to them, human theology takes precedence over God's Word). Consequently, they fail to see the real value of God's Word today. They cannot believe heaven can happen NOW.

Another thing, they cannot see the potential of house churches, even if all the apostles did were house-church ministries. Jesus did his ministry in remote places, beside lakes or hills. He and his apostles never had religious buildings or facilities but they turned the world upside down. Church buildings were never a problem, never constructed. They never prayed for building funds. One look at house churches in the Book of Acts and you see their potential at once--and the uselessness of church buildings and nice altars. But most believers can't see this and can't imagine ministry without them. Their myopia confines them to the mindset of the world.

Investment Potentials

Business savvy folks easily see a profitable business, whether it's a new idea or yet to be proven to work. They don't need proofs or surefire formulas. If they get an insight of how it can work they invest pronto, then get to the nitty-gritty later. I know a lot of folks hate this, but when network marketing first came in the early 1990s, pioneer networkers caught the idea at once. It was still in raw form, with lots of room for improvement, but they bought the idea and invested. They made lots of mistakes, but eventually made lots of money. They know what works when they see one. 

Richard Branson, British billionaire, entrepreneur and business magnate, said:

If somebody offers you an amazing opportunity but you're not sure you can do it, say yes. Then learn how to do it later.

Yup, costly mistakes and failures are okay as long as you learn things and mature.

I blog and sell my own e-books. If I had listened to people who tried to dissuade me, I'd never have done anything about blogging and digital products and surely regret it. Don't place your future in the hands of those who fail to see the potential of your dreams. They pretend to look everywhere for the break they need, when fact is it's always been there sitting right under their noses. A lot of my fellow web content writers stuck with writing for somebody else and getting a fixed pay for it. They said it was safer. 

Everyone's Dumb at the Outset

In everything, all of us know nothing at first. Even with plain walking and running, initially we knew nothing about them and it was too risky to try when we were still toddlers. But even kids know it's stupid to stick to the crib, not trying to stand up and walk just because it's too risky. So they try and try no matter how many times they fall and bump their head. It's how life works--taking risks.

To perceptive folks, all things can be learned, and with knowledge the risk lessens. Danger can be avoided. Losses can be controlled. As long as you see the potential in something, you should take risks and go for it. Just now, I remember Jesus taking the risk of becoming man and suffering thus. He saw the potential of the Father's plan even if God becoming man hadn't been tried before. It was a new (and strange) idea. But Jesus jumped in and took the risk. He saw the potential.

Bottomline

Hence, all of life is a risk. There's no such thing as a sure thing. No safe zone. Everything is a "gamble," for lack of a better term (although I don't like gambling). An investment book I'm reading says, gambling rests solely on guessing, bluffing and luck. But investment, he adds, though a bit like gambling, is based on information, analysis and science. 

Getting a Financial Mindset for 2022: Empowering Your Small Savings

Inflation rate is expected to hit 3.5 % in 2022, says UOB or United Oversees Bank, some 0.2 percent higher than what the Central Bank expected, according to The Business Times. Interest rates in the country, on the other hand, is seen to hit 2.5 % in 2022, according to Trading Economics.

Photo by Visual Stories || Micheile on Unsplash.

This means your money in the bank will gain 2.5 % interest but lose 3.5 % to inflation. You're left with -1 % profit (with emphasis on the negative sign). Your money's buying power declines. "Me utang ka pa!" That's what happens if you simply entrust your money to the banks. You lose a lot. That's not to mention some hidden charges.

So what my financial mentor (Mentor X 😄) tells me is to put my savings in a business (preferably online) or invest it. Trade it. One of my trading investments gives me 35 % VNT a month (VNT is a Filipino NF coin). That beats a 3.5 or 4 percent inflation so easily even if one VNT converts to just one peso. And this is true whether I trade for the long or short term. I keep small amounts of my money in banks only for short terms. 

Trading? Oh yeah! Even with my small savings, I can now trade in currencies. Thank GOD for this development. The middle class can now engage in trading, even the poor. But it's very risky, especially when I tend to be bullish sometimes, but I'm generally moderate. Sometimes conservative. Anyway, I trade using my extra cash, not my spending or budget money. It's cash I can afford to risk. But it's a calculated risk because I try to note market movements. 

Jesus shared a parable on investments where the king told his servants to "put your money to work." The idea is to make money work to gain profits. It wasn't about getting a job and earning salaries, or being employed to work for money. It was about investment where you make money do the work. The first servant got 100 percent increase in profits, having his 10 mina gain 10 more (a mina was about 3 months wages).

Losses are part of investments, but better if you avoid losses. That comes with skill after years of experience. For now, you should take losses in stride when they happen, not being emotional. Many people still do not understand this. Business is about taking risks--you win, you lose. And be ready and mature when you lose. Poor minds look for something or someone to blame. If you're like this and feel you cannot change, just keep your money in your bank and suffer inflation rates.

Learn to control your emotions. How? By learning how to develop a powerful personality. Click the image below for more!

Scams are a given. You try your best to educate yourself financially to avoid scams, but it's not a guarantee. I still fall to scams now and then, and it's okay. It's part of taking risks. The learning you get is invaluable. Getting smart with anything involves risks and mistakes big-time. Mistakes are still better than putting your money in the bank where you lose money without realizing it--and can't do anything about it.

So, are you ready to invest? Are you mature and daring enough to take risks and commit mistakes? And are you ready to wisen up and be smart with investments? Then start looking for good investments.