Posts Tagged ‘Self Help Books’

Caution: Self Help

I don’t know exactly how many personal development or popular self improvement books sell each year – but I do know that it is the fastest area of growth in publishing with millions of books being sold each year. I also know that, if you tune into your evening news, look at any newspaper or go browsing the web’s chat-rooms and forums, these self help books make little or no difference.

Surveys conclude that we are more anxious, stressed and worried than ever before – even a global war didn’t give rise to such abject fear as we are witnessing in a millennium where we all swallowed the idea that humankind was finally moving to a new level. Indeed, the wartime spirit that galvanized nations into powerful forces during World War II, has vanished from a brave new world where obsession with money – or needing enough of it to feel secure – is the the way most people in the developed world now operate and it’s every man for himself. What the hell has happened – and I use the world ‘hell’ deliberately because it appears to me that everyday life for many is much nearer to hell than heaven.

Bestsellers like ‘The Secret’ and ‘The Power of Positive Thinking’ point towards a brighter, better life if you use your mind in the appropriate manner. On the other hand, Barbara Ehrenreich in her book, ‘Smile or Die’, claims that positive thinking has destroyed the US and ruined the world.

Having worked in the self improvement ‘business’ since 1996 – having started out before it was fashionable to confide in your friends or colleagues that you were ‘into it’ – I am firmly of the belief that people who read these self help books are not just fooling themselves but are a danger to themselves and those around them. They read a bit, get high on a little ‘feel-good’ after-glow, perhaps even put something of what they’ve read into practice for a bit and then convince themselves that things are either better or, even more dangerous, about to get better – this is a general excuse for doing absolutely nothing whilst ‘waiting for something to happen’.

Books don’t change your life. Action is what changes your life – real action every day – action that you have to take yourself. And I’ve seen precious little evidence of action. Sure, I see plenty of reaction – but everybody reacts, we’re experts at is and it makes the world we live in worse rather than better.

So, put away your self help books and ask yourself this probing question? What action could you take today that will improve your lot if life? Not knowing your life, I’ve no idea whether major change is called for or, maybe it’s just something small. But I do know this – I am regularly questioning myself, challenging myself making certain that I keep taking the little and large actions that need to be done to push – yes, you’ve got to push yourself – my life towards more and more happiness and excitement. And I regularly see the results.

Robert Hellyer’s Defining Moment – An Example Of Divine Intervention Part I

This is one of the best Inspirational Books I’ve read.

On August 15, 1998 Bob Hellyer had a close encounter with death as he got involved in a motorcycle accident which he cannot recall and found himself waking up in hospital. During the first 8 days, he was in and out of consciousness and cannot remember anybody who arrived to visit or anything that had taken place.

He found out that he had several injuries that included the following:

A cut across his right collar bone that needed four stitches. He had tore open his left leg across the lower chin bone and exposed the calf muscle along the chin bone to his knee, cutting nerves and arteries, he also smashed the lymph nodes in his knee.

Then he was informed that he had broken his pelvis in half and the doctors weren’t certain what to do, when he removed the blanket back to take a look, he was badly beaten from his stomach to his thighs.

After being in the hospital for two weeks, the physician ultimately decided it would be best to operate and put him back together by putting in a metal plate and 4 screws through his pelvis. The physician did tell him that he was doubtful if this would succeed or not and that only time would tell. All he knew was that he was going to be bedridden for some time and perhaps crippled. Within the subsequent week the nurse learned that part of the flesh had died on his leg and they had to surgically take out all the disintegrating part and they won’t do a skin graft, as it would be too big a risk, because if it developed any infections it would rapidly travel to the new metal in his pelvis.

Finally, by the end of September, they advised Bob that he could go home, but only if he had someone to take care of him, as he would be too frail to take care of himself. So, his daughter organized all his things to be put into storage and he lived in her grandmother’s home for a month as his daughter was to be married on the October 18, 1998.

Bob was resolute to walk his daughter down the isle and not to be in his wheel chair. So, everyday he exercised on the crutches struggling through pain and dizzy periods, losing his balance time and again but just kept on trying everyday. He had to sit under the shower twice a day and wash the lesion on his leg with a sterilized fabric until it bled as he wasn’t permitted to put anything on it.

His daughter’s wedding day came and Yes, he did accompany her down the isle on his crutches. After giving her away and the service concluded, he returned using the wheel chair and tried to enjoy the rest of the function. He never let anybody see or know that he was in so much uneasiness and pain, but managed to stay until the end.

To see this story in its entirety with supplementary video, go to http://www.free-inspirational-videos.com/page/5/default.asp. Please check out Bob’s Inspirational Stories. Visit http://www.free-inspirational-videos.com for more Self Help Books, Inspirational Stories, Inspirational Books.