Self-Help and Music

A lot of people can attempt anyone of it but only a few excel at it.

Music is enjoyed by a lot of people and a majority of these people do attempt to sing songs. The good thing about music is that it can be attempted by almost everyone but there are only a select few who understand its intricacies and are really good at it.

Similarly, self-help topics are read by a vast majority of people and many of them do attempt to act as a preacher trying to enforce their thinking onto others. Like music, self-help topics also involve one to have intricate knowledge about the topic and only a select few can give directions that are actually fruitful.

Music

There is a lot of depth in music. Anyone who is involved in music would understand that it requires a lot of dedication to understand the various notes and it takes an immense amount of practice to get hold of this art form. But alas, there are a lot of people who do not understand the basics of it but still attempt to give it a try.

There is nothing wrong with people trying music just as a form of emotional release but they cannot act as a guide for the rest to try to excel at it or maybe even to enjoy and reap the benefit of it.

“In order for people to really benefit from real music, it should come from a musician who understands the intricate details about it and has excelled in this art form involving years of practice”

Self-Help

Self-help also has a lot of depth involved. Anyone who really has gone through tough times and has used the principles laid out in self-help to overcome the adversities is in a better position to guide others. But alas, there is a proliferation of people giving lectures on self-help topics which in my humble opinion can be misleading to people.

In a similar manner to music, self-help involves understanding the functioning of the brain along with internalizing the spiritual truths to figure out ways to deal with difficult times. But as is the case with music, it is attempted by a vast majority of people and is not helpful in bringing about real change.

“Singing songs by a novice can only benefit him as it is more of an emotional release. Similarly, preaching self-help topics by a novice can only make him enjoy the process. For others, it is not enjoyable and at times even frustrating.”

My journey with self-help

I have gone through some really tough times in my life and initially found it difficult to deal with the situation due to a lack of good self-help teachers.

My first encounter with something fruitful in dealing with the adverse situation was a book named ‘You Can Win” by Shiv Khera. It introduced me to the concept of the subconscious mind and ways to reprogram it. But again it was just the basic so its effect in bringing about full transformation was limited.

I then stumbled upon a YouTube channel of a philosopher named Robert Najemy and his teachings seemed to involve a deeper understanding of the brain, life, and spirituality. I was just hooked onto it. There were several books written by him that I went through and they seemed to provide very practical ways of bringing about behavioral change.

Apart from Robert Najemy, the majority of others including some well-known philosophers (both contemporary and ancient) seemed to base their theories without a proper understanding of the tenets of the self-improvement process. Hence instead of benefiting from their statements I rather became more disillusioned.

Robert Najemy for me is like a musician Beethoven who has perfected himself in the art. Learning the art from him has prepared me to be a musician who does a decent job. But as is the case with the majority of people attempting their fate with music, there are a vast number of people in the self-help arena who simply make the life of the people even harder by providing illogical ways of dealing with tough situations.

“Most of the directions by novice self-help teachers would induce a feeling of guilt in a person for not following the path. This feeling of guilt shall then induce frustration and would go as far as to even worsen the situation.”

How to find a novice in self-help?

Most people who are novices in self-help would base their teaching on using your willpower. Willpower actually is overrated and in my humble opinion using it would further worsen the situation in the long run.

“Real self-help would teach methods where there is less use of willpower and more use of fluidity of actions.”

Example: Ram is a self-help teacher and gains pleasure in preaching to others. Most of his statements would include using willpower such as

“Don’t think about the negative outcome”

“Get up early in the morning even if you have to force yourself in doing so”

Both the above statements imply one to use willpower and is an indicator of a novice self-help teacher.

A real self-help teacher would provide ways to bring about actual transformation in your psyche so that the two statements made by Ram would come naturally to the person. He will not use willpower to attain the same.

Conclusion

Music and self-help are similar in the sense that both involve a deeper understanding of the subject in order to really excel at them. But alas, both of them are exercised by a vast majority of people who do not have knowledge about it. There is nothing wrong with singing a song as a form of emotional release but when it is done so as to provide comfort to others then there is a problem.

People should try to differentiate real self-help teachers from the rest. The easiest way to find a novice in the field is to notice his reliance on one to use willpower to attain behavioral change. A real self-help teacher would advocate the usage of techniques such as catharsis and refinement of the inner child to bring about real change in behavior and for me, these teachers are analogous to the real musicians whose music can be enjoyed.