It’s interesting how these so-called successful people market themselves to the mass.

They say that they have the answers to financial freedom, and all we need to do is attend their conferences and buy their books and courses, follow them on social media, and join their tribe.

I thought about it for a while. But I didn’t quite understand. I couldn’t, for the life of me, even imagine how is that possible.

This is how it goes:

I’d pay them thousands so I can learn the secrets to boost my income and get super rich and become financially free?

Aha, that’s so helpful. Thank you very much.

Now I thought everything’s clear. But, but, something still bothers me.

Maybe I’m being skeptical again. Or maybe I’m just too dumb. It’s hard to know.

Because if these people truly live financially free, how come they charge thousands and thousands of cash in their conferences and courses? How come they diffuse endless streams of marketing bullshits cajoling people to pay their services masked as the key to a successful life that everyone should not miss?

I don’t get it. They claim that they are financially free.

But why can’t they offer their services for a reasonable cost (cheaper), or maybe for free?

And why not?

For fuck’s sake, they marketed themselves as some super rich hero who travels the world and invests in high-profile companies and soaks in pristine white sand beaches of Bali and Thailand… but then they would charge people that much? Come on.

Haven’t they realized that we, the people they fooled to join their cults, aren’t rich like them?

And by the way, what would they do with that money?

Let me repeat that, what would they do with that money? — and that’s our goddamn hard-earned money by the way.

To pay the rent of the conference venue? Pay the staff? Buy them food and coffee, and finance their travels and continue their work?

But they already said that they are super rich and financially free who can do everything they want because they have the money, they are millionaires they are billionaires.

So why not use their piles of cash instead to cover the expenses, and actualize their mission to help the desperate-frustrated-people-who-want-to-be-rich-and-have-financial-freedom?

Or maybe, their intention really isn’t to help people.

This is what I think:

They just want our money to continue their luxurious life. And that sucks. Really sucks.

And even worse is that they keep telling us that something’s wrong with having a job (because having a business and multiple income sources is the only way to be successful), and something’s wrong if we are not super productive or an insane hustler, or not traveling the world, and on and on.

That’s the dirty little secret of the self-help industry. They instill fear into our innocent minds, making us feel hopeless and pathetic assholes who need support because we’re not good enough and we’re not capable to live life to the fullest.

That’s their business model and their products are the people who buy their promises.

I have a theory: Maybe these so-called successful people are afraid of losing their fortune so they do their best to gain more and more. I’m trying to understand.

There’s a saying that when we become super rich, the pain of losing our fortune exceeds the emotional gain of earning more, which results in an endless emotional threat. If that’s true, then that probably explains what’s happening here.

In other words, people are prone to become slaves of their wealth.

In contrast, the great stoic Seneca believes that wise people don’t become slaves of their wealth. He said:

“For the wise man regards wealth as a slave, the fool as a master.”

I might be wrong. And like everyone else, I have my own prejudice to deal with.

But I do believe — again from my own flawed point of view — that being super rich without the intention to make the world a better place or help people lead better lives in some way (a pure intention to help) is being misguided.

Because what’s the point of wealth if there’s no goodness in it?

You might disagree. No problem. I respect that. I know where you coming from. But maybe it’s now time for you to rethink the obvious, too. Ask yourself:

Is it reasonable to pay these so-called successful financially free dickheads thousands of cash and become their minions?