Self-help could be your own personal bailout plan | February 13, 2009

A guy told my husband the other day that he (the guy) just wasn’t that into self-help, motivational, personal development or advice books. Actually, the guy said the books were “crap” and he never reads them. Of course, as the author of such a book, Zoom Power: Your Key to Hitting Your Personal, Business and Financial Targets, I didn’t think the man’s statement was cute or even all that informed. But sadly, I did think it was typical.

Typical of many people who do not achieve much. I’m not talking specifically about this guy, who is a decent chap. But people who diss self-help, motivational and empowerment books and workshops without even experiencing them are just giving up on their own futures. That’s because their negative attitudes prevent them from seeing information out there that could help them take their lives to the next level.

These are people who are too lazy or insecure to strive for anything better. I say lazy because these are the same people who would rather complain about their boring, sad, low-achieving lives than invest in figuring out how to make them better. And I say insecure because they are afraid to try to make changes because if the changes do not work, they’ll feel like losers.

If you’re someone who has given up on (or never given a shot to) self-help, motivational, empowerment or personal development books, c’mon, give ‘em a chance. Give yourself a chance. Will you find some books that are boring, uninteresting, full of drivel and all-around “crap” as my husband’s friend said? Of course. But you’ll also find some that have great things to say, and more importantly, information that is relevant to your life. If one sentence gets you thinking differently or a chapter opens your eyes to possibilities you had never before considered, just think how worthwhile that would be. Your life-changing experience could be just a book purchase away.

Forget Congress’s bailout plan. Create your own. Get inspired, motivated and moved.

C’mon, get with it, man. Read your way to success.