Why I Stopped Reading Self-Help Books
I used to be a massive reader of self-help books. The idea of taking the time and effort to improve myself was very appealing. For years, I saved up my meager income for a shiny bookcase and filled it with titles such as
“Seven Habits of Highly Effective People” and “Rich dad poor dad.” But somehow, I never felt any better. I just started feeling guiltier every time I built my reading list.
I could feel myself turning cynical as reading another self-help book would cause an internal eye roll, followed by painful guilt over my diminishing motivation and willpower. It was like a self-perpetuating cycle.
Don’t get me wrong, the books themselves were not bad. They just didn’t work for me. They were overly ambiguous. Books such as “Rich dad poor dad” could have been summed up in three simple words… “buy more assets.” And that’s the problem; there were no further actions, no steps to do, just vague advice on what you should already know.
So, after a while, I stopped buying self-help books entirely. Instead, I decided to focus more on reading how-to books, which tell you how to do something and actually show you how to do it. That way, I knew that I was getting guaranteed results. No more internal struggle, no more guilt. Just fun efficiency all the way!
