There are too many self-help books.
Like diet books, they are everywhere and, generally, they don’t work. They make you feel good while you are doing the work but ultimately you are who you are.
Diet books generally have two areas of focus:
1. Eat less, and
2. Exercise more.
Do this and you’ll lose weight;
And become thinner;
And become attractive;
And be loved by everyone (maybe even yourself).
Self-help books generally have four areas of focus:
1. Get to know your “Why”;
2. Practice, practice, practice;
3. Persistence (fail, fail, fail, fail quickly and get over it); and
4. Stay positive
Do this and you’ll become successful;
And become wealthy;
And become powerful;
And become attractive;
And be loved by everyone.
So why doesn’t this all work? Well, it does work. There are millions of people buying these books, tapes, etc. and singing their praises. It must work. Otherwise, why would millions of people be buying these books and tapes?
It Doesn’t Always Work
Why doesn’t this work for me (or maybe you)? At least it doesn’t work to the degree I think it should. I followed my bliss but the money didn’t follow. Maybe you know someone else with this perplexing situation.
The issue I have is that I know motivation comes from the heart and tactics comes from the head. And life isn’t rational. I want life to be rational, but I just can’t seem to get it to behave.
I keep getting confused by putting the tactics of my imagined success into my heart and the motivation into my head. I keep rationalizing my motivation and emotionalizing my tactics. Ultimately, I can’t (or shouldn’t) rationalize my motivations because they just aren’t rational. I can’t emotionalize my tactics because the tactics are strictly rational.
You are who you are (and that’s good).