What does self-help mean to you?
To some people it means a nerd surfing through the
bookstore, looking for some book on curing his nerdiness. To other it means listening to Tony Robbins
or any one of the many popular gurus, who can help you change your life. All of these are true; but what does
Self-help really mean?
Self-Help is the realization that one has the ability to
make drastic changes in ones life. I've always wondered why people think that listening to tapes or reading books was a
bad thing. Not everyone has the
knowledge in the best methods to improve the quality of their life. Most of us need help with something, but it
all comes from a single desire. The
desire to improve our life or something about it, in ways that exceed the
current value.
Self-Help is simply finding someone to teach you what you
don’t know, and in many ways, that’s no different from having a teacher, or learning
from an online tutorial. Someone else
possesses the knowledge and you are the one seeking it.
It doesn't matter what it is. The thing about Self-Help is that one must
take the initiative and then carry it .
Unlike the traditional method of improvement, self-help requires one to
maintain their passion and desire to learn.
Self-help isn't a guaranteed cure all for a person’s short comings, but
it does allow us to grow, and provides a lot of help tips and tricks to
possibly shorten that learning curve.
Some of us simply aren't capable of learning or knowing
everything that we need to know.
Sometimes these gurus aren't really teaching us a trick, but instead are
teaching us to look within ourselves to find the answers. Most self-help advice teaches us the ability
to recognize our own strengths, and to work hard to overcome our weaknesses.
My own personal self-help experience, has been a positive
one. I was one who felt no need for self
help. I could fix whatever I felt was
broken, but sometimes the answers are hard to come by; and truthfully, I don’t
know everything I need to know. Moving
to Indiana, has been very hard for me. I've been separated from my friends, my family and a reliable internet
connection. My life was turning inside
our and I was filled with more anger and frustration than I’m normally use
to. I had nothing else but time and
contemplation; and those thoughts weren't the best ones. I needed something; perhaps a key to
unlocking a future where I was happier and felt more certain about life. I decided to listen to Get the Edge from Tony
Robbins.
I went in with an open mind. And after only a few days I
felt much better. While the world around
had not changed, the world inside me had.
I started to develop a solid outlook on what it is that I wanted and
what I was capable of. Since then I’ve
read a few more self-help books, not looking for some magic mystery cure all,
but to help me understand why I would often feel the way I did, and how I could
better help myself.
The key to self-help is to keep an open mind, and don’t
expect a guru to solve your problems.
The key word in self-help is “self”.
Meaning that we can listen to someone else’s advice, but ultimately we
are the ones responsible for that necessary improvement. Listen to what is being offered and use what
you can to help find a solution to your problems.
Self-Help isn't for everyone, but it can and does work, if
you are willing to let it.
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