The Power of Self Delusion

I am often asked at seminars or workshop how people can continue to operate a fraud scheme for a long period of time when they know that people MUST inevitably be hurt.

Self delusion.

Firstly you tell yourself that you can make it work, you will make up the money in some way and no one will lose.

In the cold hard light of day this is an obvious nonsense, you have stolen the money, you have no viable business only a moron would believe that you can magically make something out of nothing.

But you rationalise and delude yourself that the impossible is a certainty, of course you can make it up.

Then you say to yourself that it is only business, not fraud at all, just a creative way of doing business. You convince yourself that "everybody" does business this way.

No they don't, you are a crook.

I spoke to another fraudster in jail on this very subject. We got talking and it came out that he was also in for fraud.

This chap was horrified when he had explained why he was in jail and I said "Oh, you mean you are in for fraud".

"NO, I am NOT a fraudster, I am a businessman who operates in the gray area of business"

Here was a man who had been sentenced for fraud, had appealed all the way to the Supreme Court of Appeals, lost ALL his appeals but still was able to delude himself that he had done nothing wrong.

Such is the power of self delusion.

This man was able to continue with his scheme because he was totally, absolutely 100% convinced that he was doing nothing wrong.

And, of course, he is likely to do it again when he is released because he has convinced himself that he did nothing wrong.

Please don't think this is an isolated extreme example, I have come across it many, many times and it is one of the primary reasons that fraud still flourishes.

If you can continue to convince yourself that you are doing nothing wrong, you will continue with what you are doing.

Do you delude yourself about anything at all? Is this power in you?

Beware you could find yourself on the road to nowhere.

And watch out for self delusion in partners or employees, it is a huge red flag that you must take note of.