When the only thing compounding is the guru’s bank account.
Seeker
joins the call from a home office cluttered with sticky notes, course dashboards open on multiple screens
Sifu… I need clarity.
I’ve been following a passive income guru for almost a year now.
Courses. Mentorship. Software tools. Mastermind fees.
I’ve spent $38,000 so far.
And I’m still working more than ever.
Sifu
studies the seeker quietly
I see motion everywhere…
but no movement.
Tell me, Seeker, what do you believe “passive income” means?
Seeker
Money that comes in without effort.
Freedom.
Time back.
The guru says if I just follow the blueprint, the system will work while I sleep.
Sifu
nods slowly
While you sleep.
Tell me, who stays awake to keep this system running?
Seeker
hesitates
Well… I do.
Setting funnels. Writing emails. Testing ads. Posting content. Managing tools.
But he says that’s just the “setup phase.”
Sifu
leans forward slightly
How long has this setup phase lasted?
Seeker
Almost twelve months.
Sifu
And how long has the guru been collecting your payments?
Seeker
quietly
From day one.
Sifu
pauses
Interesting.
So the income is passive…
just not for you.
Seeker
defensive
But he’s proof it works!
He shows screenshots… $100,000 months, Stripe dashboards, testimonials.
He says anyone can do it if they commit.
Sifu
stands and walks slowly, hands behind his back
A magician never shows the assistant beneath the stage.
Tell me, does he earn more from the system…
or from teaching the system?
Seeker
swallows
Teaching it.
Sifu
Then you are not studying passive income.
You are studying customer acquisition.
And you are the customer.
Seeker
But passive income exists, doesn’t it?
Dividends. Rentals. Digital products.
Sifu
Yes.
And none of them are passive in the way you were promised.
turns back
Rentals require capital, maintenance, risk, and time.
Dividends require capital first, often decades of it.
Digital products require marketing, traffic, trust, and constant relevance.
What you were sold was not income.
It was escape.
Seeker
quietly
That’s exactly what I wanted.
Sifu
Of course you did.
Everyone tired wants rest.
Everyone trapped wants a door.
That is why “passive income” is such a profitable phrase.
It promises reward without responsibility.
Seeker
So… is it all a lie?
Sifu
Not a lie.
A misdirection.
Passive income for beginners usually requires one of three things:
- Large upfront capital
- Time-intensive labor disguised as “systems”
- Or someone else doing the work… while you pay to watch
Which one did you choose?
Seeker
The third.
Sifu
nods
Most do.
You pay actively…
so the guru can earn passively.
Seeker
looking down
I feel stupid.
Sifu
Do not insult yourself.
You were not stupid.
You were hopeful.
Hope is not the problem.
Hope without discernment is.
Seeker
He keeps saying I’m “one funnel away.”
“One ad tweak away.”
“One mindset shift away.”
Sifu
smiles faintly
A fisherman always says the next cast will work.
If success is always one step ahead,
you will walk forever.
Seeker
So what is real income, then?
Sifu
Income comes from value delivered, not slogans repeated.
Real leverage comes after mastery.
Real passivity comes after effort.
And real freedom comes when you stop chasing shortcuts.
Tell me, what skill do you actually possess?
Seeker
I’m good at operations.
Systems. Process optimization.
I used to do it for companies… before I quit to chase this.
Sifu
eyes soften
So you abandoned a real skill…
to roleplay as an entrepreneur.
Why not sell what you already know… actively… honestly?
Seeker
Because it didn’t sound sexy.
No one calls that passive.
Sifu
Wealth is rarely sexy.
It is quiet.
Boring.
Repeatable.
The loudest people online are rarely the richest.
They are the hungriest.
Seeker
long pause
So the only passive income here…
is what I’ve been paying him.
Sifu
Yes.
And now you see it.
Seeker
What do I do next?
Sifu
Stop paying for promises.
Start earning from reality.
Build income that is active, ethical, and boring.
Then… over years, it may become passive.
But never before.
Seeker
exhales deeply
I feel embarrassed… but relieved.
Sifu
Embarrassment fades.
Clarity compounds.
Remember this, Seeker:
If someone sells you passive income,
ask yourself…
Who is doing the work?
Who is taking the risk?
And who is paying monthly?
The answers are never passive.
Seeker
closing laptop windows one by one
I think it’s time to unsubscribe.
Sifu
as the call ends
Good.
Freedom does not arrive while you sleep.
It arrives when you wake up.
The seeker shuts down the course portal.
For the first time in months, the room feels quieter.
No funnels.
No dashboards.
No promises.
Just honest work… waiting to begin.