I’ve been immersed in self-help books for most of my adult life. If you looked at my Amazon wishlist, you’d see a long list of self-help and business books. I get complete joy when I read a book that’s so good that I have to read it again and start highlighting key points that can change my life forever.
However, there are multiple problems when it comes to the self-help industry. Since the internet became more accessible globally, I’ve seen more and more ads claiming to have the answer to all our life problems.
After reading over 50 books, listening to podcasts, watched interviews and seminars, I noticed some glaring issues in this 41.81 billion dollar industry.
Conflicting Ideas
This happens when you read so many books under a subcategory of self-help. Sometimes, I feel conflicted by the advice of the mentors I choose to follow.
For instance, The Secret focuses on attracting your desires by feeling good and letting the universe do its magic, while Tony Robbins say you need to take massive action to make things happen.
Tony also says that Progress equals happiness, while Mo Gawdat says that happiness is a skill that can be learned.
Ryan Holiday’s book on stoicism focuses on mental toughness, but Jay Shetty preaches the practice of deep spiritual journeys.
My suggestion to those confused with conflicting ideas is to try them both and see which one works best. Each person is different, and each self-help book doesn’t connect to everyone.
Always craving for more!
This is me, to a tee. I was always craving to add more books to my collection. I have somehow become addicted to adding books to my Amazon shopping list.
I don’t know if it’s the book title, the cover design or the author. I know that if a book looks like a good read, I will do a bit of research by listening to the author’s interview, watching a Youtube book summary or even getting a sample chapter from my Kindle app.
It’s a goal of mine to have an extensive book collection that has changed my life for the better. I’ve also talked about the top 8 lessons I’ve learned from reading 50 personal development books.
My suggestion to those people who end up buying too many self-help books, online courses or seminars? Stop buying for a month or two, re-read some of your favourite books, and see if you can pick up something new and inspiring.
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Time to Stop learning and take Action!
Sometimes I hide my laziness by reading books on self-help. There, I said it! Yes, it happens to me too. Call it laziness, perfectionism or just scared like a little child about to enter a spelling B contest without studying.
I remember a time when I read a book on Stoicism by Ryan Holiday. I got a lot of value and ideas from the book and wondered if I could do the same. Now, that book is sitting on my bookshelf, collecting dust. No action has been taken by me, and I regret it.
If you prefer to read self-help books without experimenting with their ideas, then understand that you are wasting your potential. Self-help books have the power to change our lives for the better. It all starts with an idea, then an action step.
Don’t be afraid to experiment with the ideas you get from books, courses or seminars! It’s the only way to grow.
Thousands of Gurus
Thousands of Gurus and counting. The personal development niche has grown tenfold since the 90s, and the power of the internet is producing more authors, coaches and experts, raking in millions of dollars in revenue.
Who do you choose when it comes to picking your self-help teacher? The solution is to research before investing in any of their products. Listen to free podcasts, interviews, book summaries or even event reviews.
If you feel a connection with the author, then invest in their book!
Final thoughts
There’s a reason why it’s a 41.81 billion dollar industry. More and more people want to become the best version of themselves, and self-help resources have all the answers (most of them anyway). Like Tony Robbins said, success leaves clues! You have to find it somewhere in the book… for a small fee 
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This post was previously published on medium.com.
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