The Dark Truth Of Individuals Who Are Motivated By Reading Self-Help Books
…but they don’t want to work after that.
I love reading books. I have been reading them since my childhood. I find them extremely engaging since they help me to immerse myself in the fictional world of magical creatures, deadly monsters, or psychotic serial killers, and they let me forget all the worries in the world.
Reading self-help books, on the other hand, is a different experience altogether. Some books, such as Mark Manson’s The Subtle Art of Not Giving A Fu*k and James Clear’s Atomic Habits, have been well appreciated and read by millions. These books have found themselves on numerous bookshelves in various libraries and homes around the world.
There is no denying that people get motivated by reading self-help books and I am one of them. In fact, I have read about 7 best sellers this year alone. It has definitely helped me to achieve some goals that I wanted to complete for years but couldn’t due to procrastination.
However, self-help books don’t always work. There are books out there that do a lot of misleading by telling artificially manufactured stories that give you an adrenaline rush momentarily whenever you read them.
These books do provide false hope, which can make some people feel bad about themselves. Even while people like reading (or just owning) self-help books, they don’t work since the advice is either common knowledge or excessively simplistic, and people don’t act on it.
I want to illustrate this with an example. I have a friend, let’s say his name is Karan (I don’t want to say his actual name as he is on Medium). Karan has read 15 books this year, many of which are self-help books. Some of them are bestsellers around the globe. His stance on such books is mediocre. He even claimed that the research and support for the book Atomic Habits were all bogus. And that’s the reason he didn’t practise the methods given there.
This is what most people think about self-help books. Yes, they would take a snap and post it on their Instagram stories with captions like “Feeling motivated”, but deep down they think that a book cannot dictate how life should be lived. And I agree with them somewhat.
Then, why do people read such books if they don’t want to work on them? It is actually so much easier to keep reading, thinking, planning, and so on than it is to confront the level of discipline required to achieve the desired outcomes.
In my opinion, most individuals do not require self-help books. Most individuals do not need stories, videos, or books to teach them how to lead healthier and happier life. It is the intent that matters. It just proves that you want to make a difference in your life.
I also believe that if you can learn from the successes and failures of someone else, it is a privilege. You learn a lot from them. Try reading the books on Elon Musk, Naval Ravikant, David Goggins and many such inspiring individuals to learn about their champion mindsets.
If you want to change your life, you do the work, and in the process, getting your hands on a good book will surely push you to achieve your goals. At the very least, you will notice a difference. It worked for me. It might work for you as well.
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