I’m going to let you in on a trade secret.

A way to tell whether your favourite guru actually knows what he or she is talking about.

See, I’ve finally cracked why so many self-help quotes sound profound at first glance, then somehow go on to say absolutely nothing.

It’s because there’s a tried and tested recipe that the wannabe gurus wheel out to sound all deep and mystical. They’ll use this recipe when they write emails, appear on podcasts, give talks, post on social media or turn their latest epiphany into a fridge magnet.

It’s a simple recipe too.

All it requires is:

*** A cosmic noun like the moon, sun, stars or universe 

*** A body part (or near body part) like the heart, shadow, third eye or chakra

*** A verb that sounds impressive but basically means nothing (embody, transmute, integrate…)

*** And most important of all, some sort of paradox or circular reference

Put these four ingredients together and you get all kinds of mystical mumbo-jumbo.

For instance:

*** Your heart must surrender to the universe that’s already surrendering to you

*** Expansion happens when your soul remembers the frequency it forgot it once knew

*** When you stop seeking, you find you were looking for the seeking itself 

*** Listen to the silence between your thoughts and even your shadow will question who’s holding the lantern

Works like a charm, doesn’t it?

Of course, I don’t go in for these shenanigans. After all, my left kidney has already transmuted the galaxy by refusing to vibrate at frequencies it doesn't understand.

Anyway, now you've seen the recipe, I bet you won’t be able to unsee it. 

So go forth and spot the waffle in the wild.

Until then, if you'd prefer clarity over cosmic cliches:

https://waitinglist.followingfulfilment.com

To fulfilment,

Tom