Please be a parody, please be a parody, PLEASE be a parody...

[Cain]

I don't think this is a parody

http://www.goodthink.com/

Check out the manifesto, for staters

Plan

-    Plan on an extraordinary life
-    Plan on not settling for less
-    Plan to be in the game for a long time
-    Plan to follow your dreams
-    Plan to keep going when you mess up
-    Plan to make a fool of yourself every so often
-    Plan to rise above the Mediocrity of your surroundings
-    Plan to say yes to opportunities
-    Plan to stay off the beaten path
-    Plan to take adventurous risks
   

Know
   
-    Know Karma counts
-    Know that you are at your most powerful by being yourself
-    Know you are meant to be great
-    Know you are training now for something more important later
-    Know you can make a difference daily
-    Know you have a gift to give to the world
-    Know you have an internal compass that is a perfect guide
-    Know you still think too small
-    Know you win in the end, as long as you play to the best of your ability
-    Know your best investment is always in learning
   
Trust
   
-    Trust everything happens for a reason
-    Trust in being brave
-    Trust life is very generous to those who follow their dreams
-    Trust that "coincidences" and "synchronicities" are hints of some sort
-    Trust that your positive actions will always create positive results, seen or unseen
-    Trust the only thing that can stop you from accomplishing your master work is fear of failure
-    Trust you'll always have enough money as long as you're honoring your dreams
-    Trust your efforts are being supported by the universe
-    Trust your life is going to get better and better
   

Refuse
   
-    Refuse to compare your progress to the progress of others
-    Refuse to compromise your values
-    Refuse to horde money
-    Refuse to make choices based on "what others would do"
-    Refuse to wait for other's permission, approval, or "go ahead"
   

Figure
   
-    Figure not everyone will approve of your approach

It gets worse 

[Placid Dingo]

I actually like crap like this.

But that's because i consider it useful bullshit.

[Placid Dingo]

...and then we hit this part.

To be specific, I gave up red meat, chicken, fish, milk, cheese, ice cream, candy, sugar, soda pop, coffee, canned foods, boxed foods and junk foods. And I shifted to oranges, bananas, avocados, blue berries, peaches, watermelons, mangos, coconuts, dates, honey, raw almonds, raw cashews, raw pistachios, and salads. In a word, I went Raw; that means primarily only uncooked fruits and vegetables - morning, afternoon, and night. Fruit shakes galore. Lucille Ball probably would have called my new way of eating "FruitaNutaVeggamin.

[Lies]

I actually like crap like this.

But that's because i consider it useful bullshit.

Trust that "coincidences" and "synchronicities" are hints of some sort

[Cain]

I actually like crap like this.

But that's because i consider it useful bullshit.

Trust that "coincidences" and "synchronicities" are hints of some sort

Yes, a hint that we evolved in an environment where not being able to make connections, no matter how tenuous or loosely based in reality they may be, could potentially be fatal.

[Disco Pickle]

this reminds me of Requiem For a Dream

JUICE BY TAPPY! JUICE BY TAPPY!

but yeah, other than the raw food bit, I basically got through my teens and 20's with this mindset, even at the worst of times.  Still basically think this way.  I have no complaints.

[hooplala]

To be specific, I gave up red meat, chicken, fish, milk, cheese, ice cream, candy, sugar, soda pop, coffee, canned foods, boxed foods and junk foods. And I shifted to oranges, bananas, avocados, blue berries, peaches, watermelons, mangos, coconuts, dates, honey, raw almonds, raw cashews, raw pistachios, and salads. In a word, I went Raw; that means primarily only uncooked fruits and vegetables - morning, afternoon, and night. Fruit shakes galore. Lucille Ball probably would have called my new way of eating "FruitaNutaVeggamin.

Your flatulence must be EPIC.

Hoopla
-has known a few raw vegans

[Richter]

Someone's taking it seriously.  I'm pretty sure that's a rule of the internet. 

I am sensing some one-upmanship in lifestyle choices though...

[Freeky]

You know what, though? That's some good conditioning material. Most everything in the manifesto except the "Trust" section is pretty spot on, if you don't want to be a worker bee the rest of your life.

[Cain]

Actually, this is exactly the kind of advice I would give people if I wanted them to remain worker bees for the rest of their life.  "You are a unique precious snowflake."  "The only thing standing between you and your desires is your lack of will and laziness".  "Listen to your gut, not to reason."  "Spend spend spend."

[Freeky]

Really? Oh.

Freeky,
Doesn't get this psychology crap.

[Cain]

OK, let's put it another way.  Conferences and seminars and books with these kind of advice are very common.  My dad recently had to buy two particular books espousing a similar philosophy to this, as part of his move to the lower end of upper management.

Now, ask yourselves how many of the people who attend these conferences, read these books and attend these seminars end up truly rich?  As far as I can see, the only people getting rich are the people selling this kind of "service".

[Freeky]

That's very true. How I was reading it, and I realize that I'm probably a poor example of the population at large, was "Do what makes you HAPPY." The money part never entered my mind, and what did touch on that sort of struck me as false.

[hooplala]

Actually, this is exactly the kind of advice I would give people if I wanted them to remain worker bees for the rest of their life.

This.

I often wonder how people read these books and attend seminars where the answer to success is sitting around imagining yourself in a limousine.  The whole "Get Everything For Nothing" culture is such a monumental crock that I almost salute them for pulling it off, considering its so transparently false.

Cain hit the nail right on the head, does it ever occur to these people in the seminars that this same seminar was held last year, probably in this same hall, and did those 1200 people all become rich and successful?  Ok, what about half?  Or a third?  Any?!

This mindset is how drones are formed.

[LMNO]

Really? Oh.

Freeky,
Doesn't get this psychology crap.

As far as I can tell, the advice in the OP boils down to, "Good things will happen to you if you expect them to."

I'm thinking better advice would be something along the lines of, "Everything's gonna go to shit unless you get off your ass and do something about it."