Have you ever made a purchase that your gut told you wasn’t right? Yeah, me too. One of my biggest regretful purchases was spending $2,000 on a “writing” course that I was sure would help me develop my business skills.
I should have bailed when I saw the paperwork. If I actually published anything in the first year, the “teaching company” would receive royalties. What? Why would there be a requirement to keep paying the service after the course was funded? I had never seen an online course require something like that before. Maybe it was a writing thing? That was a BIG red flag! I contemplated it, but ultimately put it aside.
Once I signed up, the mandatory introductory call with a “coach” was later labeled as a “discovery meeting.” The “coach” was anything but. It was a straight-up sales call that tried to mine me for financial information. They wanted to see if they could get me to put up over $10,000 more (on credit) to fast-track my success and get me making thousands every month. Another BIG red flag!
When that scheme didn’t pan out, the “coach” quickly ended the call with advice to “download the Kajabi app” so I could get through the lessons quickly. “Coach” also suggested joining the Q&A sessions because they’re really helpful. Little did I know that the creators/original instructors of the course have since stepped away from doing anything day-to-day or directly supporting students. They outsourced the teaching and pretty much everything else to others. This was yet another red flag.
The cherry on top was the refund policy, which wasn’t exactly generous, but was fair enough. You could tell it was written in a way that protected the creators and avoided as much buyer’s remorse as possible. As you can guess by now, I didn’t get a refund.
You might be thinking, “Aimee, WTF?! Why did you do this?” Yeah, me too, friend. WHY did I do that!? I feel sick all over again recalling the memories.
This was a very expensive and embarrassing lesson that really shook my confidence in my own thought process and decision-making capabilities. I thought I had reasoned it all out, done my due diligence, had an exit strategy, and waited long enough considering the purchase. I searched for similar courses, but nothing seemed as “promising” as this one.
One thing I didn’t think about was my gut. My gut was shouting at me the whole time that it felt wrong, that I was fighting with myself about something that shouldn’t be a fight. The evil inner voices told me that I was dumb for not jumping on this opportunity, that I was too timid about money and business, and that I needed to bust out of my comfort zone and finally commit to doing something big for a change.
The evil voices convinced me that I was somehow unworthy and a failure if I didn’t pony up $2,000 and become a millionaire in three months. Pretty awful, right?
This painful lesson and ensuing mental health crash were not worth the cost of admission. The excess stress and regret were never worth it. And you know what? I still haven’t finished any of the lessons because I’m too angry with myself to hunker down and find something of value in the ashes.
I would be better off having spent that money on a design course or yarn at Michael’s (a craft and hobby store similar to Hobby Lobby, Jo-Ann, etc.).
Folks, after you’ve reasoned through something, please check in with your gut. It’s difficult for those of us that struggle with interoception, but I know we can do it. It’s a journey of learning to trust ourselves and learning when to say “no.” It’s okay to drill down and ask yourself why. Then ask why again on the first response. Then again and again. Try to keep it at five whys though, otherwise we’re being counterproductive.
So, the next time you’re faced with a tough decision, don’t forget to listen to that little voice inside – it just might save you a lot of strife in the long run.
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