(and what you can do about it)!
Self-help books are a billion-dollar industry. This article will show you why reading is not enough and what you can do about it. If you been reading self-help books for a while this may be the most important blog post you will read this year.
I use to read book after book on personal development. A couple of years ago it took me to a place where I got really frustrated. I knew all these theories but I was still stuck in a work that I hated with a boss that I did not understand (he did not understand me either). Do you know what I mean? Have you ever read a super-inspiring book and you were sure it would change your life…. But 6 months later your life was exactly the same as before you read that book! Guess what, you could have just skipped reading it!
For me, it was not until I started to experiment with technology when I found a system that really worked.
Here are in my opinion the top 3 reasons why self help books don’t work:
1, in direct response marketing you are taught to sell the “magic bullet”. That magic thing you need to do to loose all that weight, make all that money and find your dream partner. This is used in sales and marketing to get you to buy that book. Many times it is just fluff and the book will be filled with stories about people that were in the same situation like you and just used this magic technic that solved all their problem. I got news for you… behind any success there is no magic short cut. Success follows having the right strategy combined with hard work and persistence.
2, many books will give you a lot of inspiration. You will feel like anything is possible (which it is… but you need to put in the work!). When you finished and are ready to take on the world you may forget that last part. Reading a book is not enough. You need to take action and use the ideas and concepts daily. By doing that, you slowly but surely, will reach the level of success you want in your relations, your health and in your career.
3, once you put the book down you are caught by… life. Change can be painful and hard. You may need to get rid of some friends that drag you down. You may need to confront people in your family that don’t believe in you. But as Jim Rohn use to say: “Don’t wish it was easier, wish you were better”. Keep working on yourself and improve a little every day – the rewards are great!
Reaching the top is doable but you need to put in the effort!
So with these 3 big obstacles should I just stop reading self-help books?
Nope. Imagine someone spending years researching a subject. If this person decides to write a book about this topic there is a lot that can be learned. Learning from other peoples mistakes provides shortcuts for us. Success leaves clues.
These are my recommendations when reading self-help books:
– When someone is promising the world with not much effort you know that this is part of the marketing. Find books with great content and not just fluff. Better to read quality than quantity. Ask friends for book recommendations. Use social media. I am sure you have friends that also read self-help books. You can just post on Facebook: what book has inspired you the most? What book would you recommend for (insert the challenge you are working on).
– Summarize the books in your phone. Take out the key ideas and put them in your notes. Reading a book once will not change anything. If you summarize the key ideas you can review as often as needed. Learning takes effort.
– After finishing a book make a list of the things you will do differently and what actions steps you will take. Put these action items in your to do list and calendar in your phone to make sure they happen.
– Download my report on 7 applications that I recommend for personal development. You can find it here.
This is the formula we use in Smartphone Coaching:
Motivated to improve + right strategy + action + technology = a better life!
The motivation and strategies you can get from self-help books. With technology we make sure you take the action steps. Now take action by downloading our free report here.
Oskar Andermo
Founder of the Smartphone Coaching System
