The words self-help make a lot of people uncomfortable. I’ve had conversations with others who truly believe that self-help is a waste of time. Just hearing names like Zig Ziglar and Tony Robbins gets a bunch of people rolling their eyes.
Let’s break this down a bit so you can see why you should be very interested in self-help. Let’s start by looking at just those two words… self and help. Self means you. I would hope that you are interested in yourself, not in a selfish way, but in a way that pushes you to wonder what the best version of you really is. The help part has to do with searching for anything to help bring out that best version of you. And because we do not come with an instruction manual, we must go looking for answers anywhere we can, including books, seminars, podcasts, interviews, sermons, mentors, tools, devices, etc.
Now, I will be the first to admit that there is some sham information, some bogus products, and some goofy people involved with this self-help movement. Positive thinking alone will not get you wealthy… just writing down what you are looking for in a mate will not bring that perfect person into your life… and simply making a dream board with images of all the things you ever wanted in your life will not automatically make them come to fruition. Self-help is not about dreaming up the perfect life and wishing it into existence.
True self-help is knowing that you have incredible potential within you, yet it takes work to chisel away layers and layers blocking that full potential. What are these layers? They can be anything…. anything keeping you from expressing your best you. Those inhibiting layers can be emotional (guilt, frustration, regret, etc.), mental (ignorance, fear, arrogance, etc.), or physical (excess body fat, muscle weakness, inflexibility, etc.) All of these things create limitations.
So, why should you take the time, expend the energy, and spend the money on knocking off those inhibiting layers? Because the more you expose that better version of yourself, the better life is. You will have more energy, think clearer, laugh more, and get more enjoyment from the life you are living. The whole idea of self-help is to live the best life possible. And your idea of a great life might be different than my idea of a great life. This is important to understand. It’s about dreaming up what up what you believe to be the absolute best life possible, then working to make that life a reality.
I can hear some critics now… self-help is so selfish! It is… if you think about it in terms of making everything about you and what you will get from the improvements you are striving to achieve. True self-help is actually about being the best version of you so that you can produce more, contribute more, and serve more. If you are stronger and at a healthier body weight, can you serve more? Yep! If you have a better knowledge-base and education, can you contribute more? Yep! If you have less resentment, guilt, or frustration, would you have better relationships and be a better role model for your friends, neighbors, and children? Yep!
The coolest thing about self-help is that as you make a conscious effort to bust off those pieces and layers covering up that amazing potential lying dormant deep within you, you get to be more to the world around you AND experience a greater life. Wow! How cool is that?
I don’t have to know you personally to know you have a self, and that you need help. Take a moment to imagine the best version of you possible… now go read the books, attend the seminars, listen to the podcasts, and start chipping away.
