“The books transported her into new worlds and introduced her to amazing people who lived exciting lives.”
– Matilda, Roald Dahl
In the quiet corners of my school library I fell in love with the written word. As there was no one to talk to me at home, I spent a significant amount of time reading books. I began with fiction and fantasy books however with time; I was attracted to biographies and self-help books.
One day at the raddiwala’s shop, I found this book- How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
That was the first self-help book that I read. I was in 9th Grade and I wanted to win more friends. I wanted to look and feel cool. I thought reading the book would give me a personality that would attract more friends.
Did this book give me solutions?
To be honest, Yes.
Were the solutions sustainable?
No, the solutions offered were temporary
Did the book transform me?
No, because the book didn’t work on my belief system.
Self-help books focus on providing solutions based on the author’s perspective. Most solutions offered work temporarily, if we do not practice what’s mentioned in the book, consistently. Also self-help books may not be able to work on your belief system. And that’s where sustainable transformations and breakthroughs happen.
So the next time you invest in a self-help book, check the perspective that the author offers, keep a journal to make notes. Instead of just reading and accumulating information put that knowledge to use, test the strategies and check what works for you and what doesn’t. This way you could be in a better space to make the most of the book that you read.
Most self-help books provides you solutions for the symptoms of the problem and may not be able to cure the problem.
I loved reading this article where Journalist Marianne Power shares her experience of reading self-help books. Hope you’ll find some insights.
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Which was the first self-help book you read?
What are your thoughts about reading self-help books? Did any book solve a problem or work on your belief system? If yes, then I’d love to hear about that.
Love & Light,
Gayu
My first was probably Gandhiji’s autobiography “My Experiments with Truth” – both in English and Hindi (abridged versions ). These were prescribed in our syllabus. I obviously read them as compulsory reading, but I am sure they have influenced me a lot, as one value – which I am sure all of us have – “speaking the truth” penetrated into me. Later in life a library peon once remarked – “Madam (my boss) bhi Gandhiji hain aur aap bhi ek Gandhiji aa gaye”. It was then that it struck me about how much the books influenced me.
The first that I read with an intention to read self help was “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People” – by Stephen Covey. It helped me a lot. That was a difficult phase in my life as I was trying to live a life that did not match my values. This book – in a way – told me that my values and thinking were absolutely fine and I should work on living them. I have worked on myself a lot, based on this book.
With that sharing – I completely agree with you – that not every book is for everyone. In fact, in library sciences, we have laws – “Every book – its reader”, and “Every reader – his(or her) book”. I think what you wrote now makes so much more sense, with these two laws!! 🙂
Finally would like to offer a view point that I take with every book I read, or event that I attend. If there is even one thing in the book or event that helps me – it is worth my time and money
I would be so happy to thank you for the professional experience you have shared with us with the help of the supplied blog entry!