I first got the impression that they want you to swear total allegiance to them when my sister took the course. Her last class was scheduled the evening of super bowl sunday. While I'm not a big fan of football, I figured since it was the championship, I'd watch it. (Besides my brother asked me to tape it and I wasn't sure how to program the VCR to do it while I wasn't there.) Then the night before, my sister asks me to attend a graduation celebration (I didn't know she was taking any class) that was supposed to start at the end of her last class (very close to the start of the game). She was extremely emotional and said this was very important to her, so I eventually told her I'd go. I got there, and it was basically just a bunch of people milling about and chatting while they played uplifting motivational songs, like the theme to 'Rocky', through a PA system. People weren't really sticking around for any celebration that I could see.I stayed for 5 minutes, then left. I was pretty angry that I had driven all that way for nothing.
About a week later, she tells me that she has to go to a post-graduation meeting and she's *required* to bring somebody with her. (All along she's telling me how great Lifespring was for her, and that I should sign up). I figure, what the hell I'll go and listen, and see what the hell she's so excited about.
When I got there, all the guests were brought into one banquet hall, and the 'graduates' were taken elsewhere. We were given a spiel about how lifespring can change your life for you and help you realize your full potential if you would just sign up and pay the couple hundred dollars tuition (I don't remember the price, but it ain't cheap).
During this 'meeting', they sit you down with a lifespring graduate from a different class, and try to get you to specify some unreached goals. Then whatever those goals are they try and convince you that they can help you achieve them. The only goal I had was to eliminate some debts. And they had the audacity to tell me that if I spent the money to take the course, they could help me achieve that goal. "Do you have a credit card? You could use that to pay your tuition."
Eventually, the 'meeting' broke up and they let the people you came with come back in and try and talk you into it. I kept holding my ground, until my sisters friend (the one who got her involved) volunteered to front me the money for the non-refundable deposit. I swore to him that I couldn't come come up with the rest, or pay him back, but he insisted, so I figured, what the hell, if it isn't costing me anything, what can I lose.
They started calling me at work the following week, asking me things like, was I thinking about what I was going to focus on when I took the course, what do I want to change for or about myself. Quite frankly, the answer was nothing. Not that I thought I was perfect, but life was going pretty good for me at that time. I couldn't complain. The woman from lifespring would say, "Well think about it and call me back when you come up with something." It started to get annoying.
Then a short while before I was supposed to start attending classes, the band I'm playing in got scheduled to play a show at one of the more prestigious clubs in the area. We felt it was an important step for the band, and we were thrilled to have the opportunity. The problem was, it was scheduled for one of the nights that I was supposed to take a class.
I called the woman at lifespring and asked if I could take the course at another time and she basically said I couldn't. She said something like, if I missed a class, I couldn't graduate, but I could go through the entire course again and then graduate after that. However, if I missed the first class, or didn't attend any, then I would basically be out of luck. She recommended that I reschedule the band's gig. (If any of you are familiar with playing in bands on the local level, you're probably already laughing aloud at that idea. Suffice it to say that, there was no way in hell I was gonna give up that gig.) "Just explain it to them",she said. "They'll understand". (Lady, you crack me up.) Needless to say that was the last I had to do with Lifespring. (Oh yeah, we had a great show, and were invited back to play several times since.)
Anyhow, it seems obvious to me that they want you to become a hardcore Lifespring fanatic, and drop all other obligations or desires for the opportunity to attend their functions and give them your money. Not only do they expect you to miss major events like the superbowl (well to a lot of people at least. They'd probably schedule a class on New Year's Eve), but they were expecting me to pass on a major career opportunity not only for myself, but for my whole band. My sister has gone through a couple of 'advanced' courses since, and she's still into it, but it seems to me like she's spending a lot of money for nothing.
If you want to change your life, start an exercise program, learn to play guitar, take a photography class. Pick a hobby and become great at it. You don't need to pay a bunch of people to stand in a room and tell you you are ok.
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