There’s a dark side to self-improvement. Nobody says it out loud, but it's hidden in plain sight — Your life is only worth living if you’re financially free, physically fit, and able to travel wherever you want, whenever you want.

Everyone else? You’re a loser, and it’s all your fault.

You didn’t follow the simple 12-step, life-altering, self-improvement process. You can only blame yourself.

Here, I’ll give you a second chance. Just read and apply:

“How to Win Friends and Influence People”.

“Think and Grow Rich”.

“The Four Agreements”.

Read it, be inspired. Just do it. Dream bigger. Think positive. Fail forward.

Execute.

If you read it and can’t apply it. Buy another book. Why not?

You’re just one book away. Just one more product, one more online course, one more mastermind group away from the life you dream of.

Every self-improvement, psychology, and business book promises to disrupt your life. Everything you believed in yesterday was wrong. Read this now and step into the new and improved you, version 2.0.

We’re obsessed with a future that may never come

Life used to be simple.

I remember running to the school library, grabbing a book because the cover was pretty, and racing to those big bean bag chairs before anybody else.

Reading was fun.

I didn’t worry about key takeaways, life lessons, or actionable steps. I didn’t need to read a book per week to become successful in life. I didn’t care about the ultimate morning routine or productivity hack.

I read books because I enjoyed it. I loved diving into the story.

Reading was play.

You can achieve everything you’ve ever wanted and it still won’t be enough

It’s Saturday night and I’m stressed.

Every choice I make has strings attached — Opportunity cost.

If I read this book, I won’t have time to read that book. I can make money, but I can never make time. If I read a book for pleasure, isn’t it the same as wasting my life on Netflix?

Where’s the profit? What can I gain from this book?

Maybe I’ve read too many self-help books. I’m trapped in a never-ending cycle of “you have to succeed now” by “leveraging your mindset” and finding the “optimal intersection of your unique skills and what the world needs”.

Self-help is like religion. I feel like I’m never enough. Salvation is just out of reach — I need to pay more to earn more.

Something like that.

Life’s not fun. Every decision is over-analyzed and under-appreciated. I choose to do one thing and instantly regret it. Maybe I missed out on an opportunity. I should have done something else.

I read so much self-help that I can no longer help myself.

What am I struggling for?

What am I living for?

I’m obsessed with tracking and optimizing my scheduled life. I don’t have time to confront myself. Every second is spent on the hustle — The grind to more work, more wealth, more freedom.

And nowhere.

If I could take care of my family’s material needs, fly off to paradise, and do anything I wanted, what would I do?

I would buy all that I fancy. I’d enjoy it for a second, then wonder why I cared so much. Not all that glitters is gold.

I would go on amazing experiences to faraway lands. I’d experience them, and eventually, the novelty will wear off.

I would eat incredible food. I’d eat it, and it’ll still come out the other side.

In the end, I’m right back where I started. I’d probably read.

Just for fun.

Nobody cares about your perfect life

You don’t have to plan every moment of your life — It’s impossible.

Life will always get in the way. The books you hold dear won’t save you from the randomness of living.

So live.

Read stupid magazines.

Read childish comic books.

Read frivolous fiction.

You can live however you want to. There’s no right or wrong. You can’t be on all the time. It’ll burn you out.

Be kind to yourself.

Stop justifying every decision you make. Don’t read something because it was recommended in a Medium article. Don’t read because that’s what you think leaders should do. Don’t read because you’re afraid of falling behind.

Read because you want to. Nobody’s judging you. Nobody cares.

You’re free.