It's common that most people who start self-help books fail to see anything that will be useful in their daily lives. The results that may come from one of these are completely subjective; unfortunately, I am one of those who think self-help do not come from books. I have happened to pick up a lot of writing self-help books; those that have that intention to help you come out of your shell and develop your writing skills. Sounds lovely, so I make space on my room and as soon as I flip the first page, I have hopes of finding new techniques to craft when it comes to elaborating my ideas. However, I don't like self-help books because:
1. They want you to be someone you are not.
I'm not sure how exactly they do it but the minute you start reading one of these books you feel like you've been doing things the wrong way. In their eyes, their instructions are the path to take in order to be a better person on any aspect. Also, it's most likely they make you believe you are diagnosed with something you're not by adding questions about basic human emotions everyone has at some period of their lives.
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2. They make change sound like piece of cake.
Nothing happens in the blink of an eye. You don't wake up one day with your education diploma and 10 job offers to pick from. Why do self-help books want to make everything sound so easy? This is the most unrealistic element from these books.
3. They're full of clichés.
"Meditate. Keep a journal. Find what you love. Think positive. If something is bothering you, let it go. Read a good book. Take a walk around the park. Be in control of your own destiny." These, among others, are the most common advice found in self help books. I do all of these things, is my life automatically better because of this? Probably. This is nothing new, nothing worth spending my money on to hear the same rubbish.
4. The "if it worked for me, it will work for you" excuse.
Okay, author whose name I've never heard of, are you assuming that everyone is like you? How am I sure that you practice what you preach?
5. One is often told to ignore problems instead of facing them.
These books sell dreams that often lead to taking no action. This can result avoiding getting the actual help you are seeking for; you feel good enough while reading the book you decide to ignore your problem until it "fades."
I'm not here to bash self-help books because they didn't work for me. I am still searching for ways that would help me in whatever I've seeked for in a self-help book that has failed to meet my expectations. For now, I'll stick to what I know: work as soon as deadlines approach. However, if you, who reads this, have found results from self-help books, let me know. I'll be happy to read.
