Do as I say not as I do

So recently I was at a workshop which was to be a motivational day regarding turning passion into profit.
The speakers were great.
I wont go into who they were, as that is not the point here.
I do not wish to name (and/or) shame.
But I do want to make a point.

The fact is that on the day I WAS motivated.
I was made to think about what I want right now.
I was encouraged to think that I could achieve far more than what I had done up to this point.

I went on my breaks with my head full of ideas and was even motivated to almost sign up for a further workshop weekend with one of the speakers who I felt quite fired up by.
The price they were asking wasn't outrageous - it seemed good value and was even going to be presented locally.
Bonus!

I went home after the workshop and thought I might jump on the Facebook pages of the speakers.
When I started to find out more about them one in particular did not have the sort of background that I would have been proud of and one that I would have imagined being from someone promoting themselves as a motivational speaker.

In fact some of the things I was reading about in this person's recent past was rather gob smackingly awful.

So, this then left me with a very sour taste in my mouth.

This leads me to the question - what happens when you are all fired up by someone who inspires you to be a better person but you find out that they really don't walk their own talk?

I know we all make mistakes.
But when people are in a position of instructing others on how to live a better life but are themselves doing very wrong things that have a deep effect upon others - what does that do to their teaching?

Where does that leave those that believe in them?

Can errors like this be fobbed off?
Should these people know better?
Should they even be in the public domain as transformational speakers?

I am sure you have your own opinion - whether it is all about forgiveness or whether it might be a reaction of 'how dare they have the audacity to be out there after what they have done'.

Should I feel lied to?
I was not told the WHOLE story only the bits that would give me an emotional connection to this person. If they had revealed their latest scandals would I have felt the same way about them?

Most probably not.

There are some things you can let slip, but...not if the things done are not paltry nor done once, but many times over an extended period - it's something you need to put into perspective.

I know that none of us is perfect and we should not be judging others for what they do - but... should a person who has, for example, committed crimes be telling you how to manage your life?

Shouldn't those who are in a position of teaching bear that in mind when leading their personal lives?
Is their request for our money just funding their lifestyles (which it is) but dose that not suggest that they speak one thing but keep doing another and doesn't hat make them hypocrites?

Its time for all of us - writers, bloggers, webinar hosts, healers, psychics, teachers, counsellors etc to just think closely as to whether we just talk, or whether we listen to our own advice before we give it out to others.