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rbharath 's review for:
This book attempts to answer an important question (packing lots of humorous anecdotes along the way) – can the techniques outlined in popular & mainstream self-help literature change your life for the better?
Marianne Power was not doing badly for herself – she had a decent career already. Yet she wondered if reading and practicing self-help techniques can better her life – more success, relationships etc. She decides to read one self-help book a month for a year, and practice it. They are well known books including: Feel the fear and do it anyway, Money a love story, The Secret, Unleash the power within, The Seven Habits, The Power of Now, Get the guy, Daring greatly, You can heal your life etc.
After reading the book, she tries to follow all of what is advocated in it. For instance: Feel the fear and do it anyway – take up what you really fear and still do it. This leads her to try her hand at sky diving, modelling, stand-up comedy and other activities she normally would stay away from. Then there is the rejection therapy which prompts her to chat with strangers, ask for free stuff at the coffee shop etc. A lot of it is narrated in a hilarious tone. Some of it seems to help temporarily such as swearing away your irritations.
After many weeks, she realizes that she has spent a lot of money, her career has suffered, her relationships are strained (though those close stick by and offer sensible advice) and she is not happier. She reaches a state where she has to consult a counselor. She acknowledges though that each book does have something of value, but she is more drawn to the contents of ‘The Power of Now’ by Eckhart Tolle and ‘Daring Greatly’ by Brene Brown.
I have read a lot of self-help books myself and had my own opinions as I went into this. Self-help is an industry, the strategies advocated are not for everyone and you may be a guinea pig of sorts. After listening to her audiobook, I also saw her TEDx talk and her summary is well articulated and important. A lot of the self-help books & courses start by making you feel inadequate (there is a better you possible if you follow the techniques) and they make you self-obsessed, which adds to the stress and impacts relationships. Some of the examples in the book such as asking for free stuff, workshops she attends etc are extreme though and could have been recognized as so upfront. In some cases, the summarization and takeaways are inadequate. Eg: the picture your funeral from “The Seven Habits” does have important preceding matter where Stephen Covey says that he has yet to meet a person on his deathbed who wishes he had spent more time working in the office (sensible advice). His concept of personality ethic vs the character ethic is also important, in my opinion. There is also a place where she downplays the positive impact diet, exercise etc can have. She rightly recognizes the value mindfulness books & courses deliver (they emphasize worth, acceptance & care for everyone) in contrast to other procedural self-help books but does not delve any deeper.
This is an important book which can point you in the right direction. As she says – helping yourself is simply about being a good person every day – we are adequate as we are.
Someday maybe I will write a note on my experiences with self-help.
Marianne Power was not doing badly for herself – she had a decent career already. Yet she wondered if reading and practicing self-help techniques can better her life – more success, relationships etc. She decides to read one self-help book a month for a year, and practice it. They are well known books including: Feel the fear and do it anyway, Money a love story, The Secret, Unleash the power within, The Seven Habits, The Power of Now, Get the guy, Daring greatly, You can heal your life etc.
After reading the book, she tries to follow all of what is advocated in it. For instance: Feel the fear and do it anyway – take up what you really fear and still do it. This leads her to try her hand at sky diving, modelling, stand-up comedy and other activities she normally would stay away from. Then there is the rejection therapy which prompts her to chat with strangers, ask for free stuff at the coffee shop etc. A lot of it is narrated in a hilarious tone. Some of it seems to help temporarily such as swearing away your irritations.
After many weeks, she realizes that she has spent a lot of money, her career has suffered, her relationships are strained (though those close stick by and offer sensible advice) and she is not happier. She reaches a state where she has to consult a counselor. She acknowledges though that each book does have something of value, but she is more drawn to the contents of ‘The Power of Now’ by Eckhart Tolle and ‘Daring Greatly’ by Brene Brown.
I have read a lot of self-help books myself and had my own opinions as I went into this. Self-help is an industry, the strategies advocated are not for everyone and you may be a guinea pig of sorts. After listening to her audiobook, I also saw her TEDx talk and her summary is well articulated and important. A lot of the self-help books & courses start by making you feel inadequate (there is a better you possible if you follow the techniques) and they make you self-obsessed, which adds to the stress and impacts relationships. Some of the examples in the book such as asking for free stuff, workshops she attends etc are extreme though and could have been recognized as so upfront. In some cases, the summarization and takeaways are inadequate. Eg: the picture your funeral from “The Seven Habits” does have important preceding matter where Stephen Covey says that he has yet to meet a person on his deathbed who wishes he had spent more time working in the office (sensible advice). His concept of personality ethic vs the character ethic is also important, in my opinion. There is also a place where she downplays the positive impact diet, exercise etc can have. She rightly recognizes the value mindfulness books & courses deliver (they emphasize worth, acceptance & care for everyone) in contrast to other procedural self-help books but does not delve any deeper.
This is an important book which can point you in the right direction. As she says – helping yourself is simply about being a good person every day – we are adequate as we are.
Someday maybe I will write a note on my experiences with self-help.