do self help books help?

Life-Sutras 2 Minutes

self-help

Today the book market is flooded with self help books. It is another issue that that the majority of the self help books do not help as was found out in a survey done some time back.

Before picking up a self help book one should do this simple probing. Did this author succeed in any thing other than in the field of writing self help literature. Recently, a book titled Success Mantra became a best seller in India. At least it was claimed to be so. The writer of the book is Mr. Subrat Roy and he wrote this book while he was in jail for his fraudulent practices. No doubt he has been successful. But what kind of success are we talking of?

Those who never worked in an office writer books about how to succeed in the workplace. Sometimes, people who failed in every field they tried their hands on, write books about how to achieve success and suddenly the book becomes a best seller.

Similarly,  I come across a number of motivational speakers whose only claim to fame is being a successful motivational speaker. Many of them chose this field because they could not stick to and persevere in their earlier chosen fields. Some of them might have been kicked out of their earlier jobs. Yet, they are hired by companies by paying hefty sums to motivate their employees to work hard and be more productive.

It is not that I have been a strict adherent of the wisdom I am dispensing here. I have also read a number of best seller self help books. One thing I have noticed is that if you pick any book, not only does it say why this book is the best book,  it also tries to convince you that all the other books are totally out of time and useless. Now examine another scenario. Suppose there are 100 self help bestsellers. Every books proclaims that other ninety nine books would not work. So by the authors’ own collective admissions 99% of self help books do not help.

But all self help books are not totally useless. Occasionally, you may comes across a book that dispenses wisdom and insights to uplift you.

I have come across friends and colleagues who are addicted to self help books. They do not read anything else. If you are one of them, remember: there had been successful people since the time of Adam, long before the Americans started flooding the market with self-help books.

Of course, you may take solace in this positive possibility. If you read enough number of books on how to become a motivated productive employee, one day you my end up becoming one of those motivational authors or speakers.

Well, what has been your experience? Please leave your opinions.

You may also read:Are Inspirational books really helpful?

Published by Durga Prasad Dash

Published

34 thoughts on “do self help books help?”

  1. Self help books inspire and motivate but you can’t be successful just by reading and applying the strategies given in self help books. I am a big fan of Rhonda Byrne and have read all her books. But still if anybody could manifest anything through ‘Secret’ then won’t we all be successful by now?

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  2. I have had experiences of reading self help books. The first one that I read was You can win by Shiv Khera. I was at school at that time and I would say that much of what is written in that book is practical and if someone really adheres to the words of prudential wisdoms given there, he will be at least successful at making his life more principled if not becoming successful at achieving materialistic trivia.
    Regarding people who teach because they have failed at everything else is changing as of today. I have had the chance of getting education from people who are at top of their career as researchers! People from DRDO, ISRO and CSIR have come to our institute for the sole purpose of teaching.

    Also, not everyone who has excellence at his field can have the knack of imparting education to others. I have also met people who are great in their field but pathetic at teaching. I would much rather learn the basics from a lecturer who can teach than a professor who can’t!

    That said, I have also read books like secret which are nothing but garbages of pseudo science dumped as some over the top secrets that Einstein and Newton knew as well!!

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    1. Yes, the saying – those who cant, teach- cannot have universal application. We cannot categorise people. There are many who do as well as teach excellently. But there are many who want to teach just for the heck of it.

      The market these days are flooded with self help books as these kind of books sell better than others and many mediocre writers have jumped the bandwagon. Even if a book is a best seller, it does not mean it gives sane or useful wisdom.

      Thanks for stopping by and elaborating on the topic.

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  3. Article makes interesting reading.Yet, tends to generalize too much.People who are good at nothing else or failed people become motivational speakers- Failure also gives insights learning from which can give success. Further , if a person is able to hold audiences and get them to listen intently, surely he/she possesses some skill. Sometimes we tend to trivialize roles that can be very daunting when doing it practically. As for example many people believe actors have a gala time and it is very easy to act…

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  4. I agree with you that those who write such books and deliver such talks are skillful writers and orators. They write interesting stuff and conduct interesting workshops even giving the reader / the audience a temporary high. And quite often, because their presentations are so interesting, we fail to to see through the fallacies they propagate.

    Thank you for stopping by and throwing more light on the issue.

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  5. I have tried reading all kinds of books and succeeded. But self-help books have got to be an exception. Your example is stellar: imagine a crook like Roy sermonising you! I would recommend Steve Job’s biography by Walter Issacson to people who are searching for that elusive spark in their lives.

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  6. Never ever thought of the success stories of authors behind the self help books… But that’s a very crucial point…is it really possible to impart such knowledge without having any actual hands on experience. Great post 🙂

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  7. I have a different experience on the same..As they are interesting to read ,I read them but the moment I leave ,I forget all about them. But the book that I really liked is “The Sheep Thief”.It’s worth reading.

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  10. Like you said, self-help books don’t offer value beyond motivation and direction. It’s entirely up to the person to take action. And honestly, taking action is the *ONLY* thing that matters.

    If all the book does is validate your feelings and you don’t bother to actually take action, then all a person is accomplishing is mental masturbation. That’s why on my blog I encourage step-by-step action on top of awareness. Because like this post – people may read it, but they might not respect the value you intend for it to provide – selfhelp books are great, but the true value comes from the execution to pursue what you wish to achieve.

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  12. I agree that not all self help books are great. However, I do disagree with the stigma around it, I read self help books from other successful people’s “must reads” I think the most important thing a reader needs is an open mind and WANT TO change. Just like a diet it only works best if you put 120% into it. Reading a cook book doesn’t mean your a chef, it still takes time. It isn’t a cure all, it’s a boost to your spirit, a sign of hope. Great read though!

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  14. Very interesting. When I’m struggling with an issue, a good self-help book helps me by giving me perspective and hope that there’s a way out. I typically read self-help books by people who had success in another field or offer insightful perspective on the world and human behavior. Great post by the way, I haven’t thought much on this topic.

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    1. Even though I have been a bit harsh on self help books, there are some great inspiring books. Of course sometimes there are inspiring books that do not explicitly claim to be so.
      Thanks for stopping by.

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  16. I feel a lot of self help books and videos, give you a momentary high and motivation. This momentary high is actually momentary and does not last beyond a few days, hours or even seconds at times. What more important on this subject is how to take one positive thought and make it a part of your life. Till you practice, theoretical knowledge is of no use.

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  17. I think what self-help books and authors do is to capitalize on people’s hope. You don’t have to be an expert for that, but you do need some insight into people’s minds and hearts for that. Maybe self-help books are like a placebo effect…they make you feel better because you think it’s going to help you.

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  19. I do believe many self-help authors have a story to share, but there is no doubt their own personal success comes from their ability to inspire others. It is not the authors fault however, people are so reliant on others to do the work for them. I know many who own every Hay House book there is and yet their lives are in utter chaos. Not to mention those people who will say to Abraham Hicks “I have been listening to you for over ten years but….I still don’t know what to do”.

    These books do offer some practical advice, BUT most people through laziness, or self-doubt and fear will not take any of the steps to move beyond reading the books. The Secret works. I used to practice it but I got lazy, I let doubt creep in and my life fell to pieces, because I stopped putting in the work. Only now am I picking myself back up again and already things are happening.

    I think it is up to the reader to take the next step. Stop picking up every ‘best-seller’, stop letting the NLP, and marketing ploys of a ‘life changing’ advice fool you. Find a book that resonates, study it and apply it! If you can not commit to it then chances are there is nothing else that will work. There seems to be the idea that success will just fall into your lap…there is more to it than that.

    Great post! It is definitely something that I have thought a lot about, (as a former self-help junkie myself). Even Anthony Robbins success from what I have heard him say was based on his ability to reword and share information he learnt from other self-help gurus of the past.

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    1. There are books that contain a lot of insights and there are some very shallow. I agree with you that it is ultimately upto the reader to understand those advices and insights in right context and implement in his life.
      Thanks for stopping by.

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  20. Pingback: Are Inspirational Books Really Useful? – PEBBLES AND WAVES

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