Self-Help Books Don’t Work — Here’s Why
Some of the best-selling books of our time are self-help books. Some of the best performing stories and articles online also fall into the category of self-help. Nothing’s wrong with that by itself. The problem lies in the fact that despite the enormous quantity of self-help information available, it doesn’t work.
While people lose themselves in a sea of advice, suggestions, routines and “hacks”, they also lose sight of the fact that no amount of information will change this simple fact: in order to succeed or improve in any area of your life, you need to actually do something.
There isn’t anything wrong with advice. But unless you’re actually using it to do something it doesn’t count as anything more than entertainment.
Therein lies the problem. Reading articles about how to “Achieve Massive Success in Three Simple Steps” cheers you up. It makes you feel like anything is possible. It’s exciting. It’s great to think about how all you need to do is those steps, or face the “Seven Brutal Truths About Winning” and you’ll be all set.
In fact, it’s so exciting that many people stop there. You don’t feel as miserable anymore, or your problems don’t seem so big anymore. So you continue doing what you were before.
