I believe most courses teach fairly obvious, good habits, which most of us have not picked up for various reasons previously in our lives. Those who have picked them up from other sources apart from personal development courses, have succeeded. It's enough for us to look at famous enterpreneurs who did not inherit their businesses through the family.
I totally agree with your capitals about consistency. This is the key. Then it becomes a matter of personal choice which courses we follow to become successfull. ES is a very good one.
I watched part of "The Secret" movie, as I kept falling asleep. At that stage I was already into personal development, so I felt that the movie was irrelevant for me.
Whether other gurus follow what they preach, it is tricky to assess. Lots of these gurus engage into strong marketing strategies to reach the success they use to demonstrate how effective their teachings are. I would think that, if a guru develops an illness like cancer, which always has strong emotional components, then I would take that as a proof that the guru is not applying his principles to a great extent.
