In some shape or form, I’ve been studying “criminals” my entire life — people who break the law, do bad things, and have no remorse about it.
Honestly, it fascinates me. But I’ve had to learn how to turn that fascination into something healthy.
For instance, I get paid to write about criminals in various industries, while helping readers be aware of them, so that they can avoid dealing with them any further in this lifetime.
Maybe it’s in my blood to be aware of humanity’s weak spots. “Private Investigator of the Soul,” says my spirit’s resume.
When you boil it down its basic level, a criminal is nothing more than an individual who 100% believes he is powerless in life.
No one ever taught that person how to actually create meaningful, successful experiences.
In a mad scramble to resolve this deficiency, the criminal-minded person attacks others in some shape or form…believing others are at his mercy. (They’re actually not.)
Dan and I were just talking about extortionist websites — sites where anyone can post a bullshit negative review about you or your company, then the site offers to “remove” the negative reviews for a hefty fee.
That’s the business model of a criminal.
It’s similar to Big Pharma, an industry that makes people sick with their prescription drugs, then offers to “cure” that sickness by selling them more prescription drugs…
Wiki defines extortion as “a criminal offense of obtaining money, property, or services from an individual or institution, through coercion.”
However, here’s the truth: only people who succumb to fear or ignorance would ever give a single dime of their money to such companies or individuals.
Nobody has the power to extort anything from you. Unless you choose to let them.
The whole concept of coercion is based on the idea that somebody can force you to do something you don’t want to do.
As an adult, you always have a choice.
Here’s a real-life example. I’ve shared with my email subscribers in the past about how a mentally disturbed individual once posted fake reviews online about me being his “escort.” This was in 2014 — years before all the sexual harassment stuff has proliferated the news in the Trump era.
This person posted fake reviews about me anonymously, after threatening me via email saying he would do so. (All because I kicked him off my email list for complaining about my content.)
A few days after he posted his reviews, I got an anonymous email from someone offering to remove the fake review for a “fee.”
“These bad reviews might hurt your sales,” the email claimed.
That’s an example of extortion.
But it didn’t work.
As someone who understands the power of choice, I know I’m in control of my sales — not some disturbed individual who breaks the law by engaging in slander.
Our biggest enemy isn’t criminals…it’s our own inability to discern truth from fiction.
(Why do you think America elected a president who is busy calling out all the “fake news” campaigns of the world? Because people are ready to start understanding what’s real, versus what’s fake.)
The fake reviews didn’t cause any damage to my life. The only person who took them seriously was my younger sister, who at the time hadn’t yet learned to discern truth from fiction.
In 2014, when I attracted that experience into my world, I was an overall angry person. Everything pissed me off. And so, I constantly attracted opportunities to be pissed off about something.
Everyone who knows me knows I’m not an escort. I’m a writer. And a meticulous editor.
What you may not know is that I dabbled briefly in erotic writing in college, and I almost pursued a PhD, wanting to write my dissertation on prostitution in literature. (True story!) I was intrigued by the question, “Who would actually choose to do prostitution as a career?!” I did a ton of research on that topic…but ultimately chose to abandon that pursuit, deeming it unhealthy and not the direction I wanted to go in life.
I went into online marketing instead…and proceeded to disagree with 99% of what I was seeing in the industry (like the insane emphasis placed on random social media marketing). I created my own brand, Anti-Marketing.
It has worked well for me…and for my clients who’ve actually hired me for writing and editing.
As for the guy who posted fake reviews about me, claiming my writing business is a “front” for an escort business…yeah, he’s seriously misdirected in life and I don’t envy him. (We know exactly who he is, all of his various websites, and black hat SEO tactics.) On one level, it could be argued that he’s nothing more than a remnant of my past self, my subconscious mind trying to gain closure on having once felt powerless in life.
Dan wants to kick his ass…I said, “Don’t bother. There’s nothing there. It would be like trying to fight air.”
Extortion isn’t real. Fake reviews aren’t real. People who post fake reviews aren’t real.
And none of these things can threaten or harm you, unless you allow them to.
There’s no substance behind any of it.
There’s no meaning behind any of it.
Only Truth is real.
When I die, I’ll know the exact contribution I’ll have made on this earth. I’ll know the value of the work I did, the value of the person I was being, and all the courageous home business owners who I helped get their message out into the world…while never fearing the con-artists who were busy pushing their agenda of “powerlessness” everywhere they went.
As the book A Course in Miracles says:
“Nothing real can be threatened.
Nothing unreal exists.
Herein lies the peace of God.“
Michelle Lopez Boggs is a copywriter, copywriting mentor, and author of "The Anti-Marketing Manifesto: How to Sell Without Being a Sellout." She's helped her clients sell millions of dollars' worth of products and services online by using the MEI(S) principle — motivate, educate, and inspire, and sell. 