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This maybe an unpopular opinion but I kinda of hate self help books they just don’t work for me. But the blogosphere is awash with books that you should read to ‘help’ you but I just don’t feel them.
First there was The Life Changing Magic of Not Giving a F**k , then I bought Gala Darlings Radical Self-Love, and now there is Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear. And well I can’t get on board with that either. The internet tells me I should love these book but I don’t.
I can’t even get past the first few chapters of Big Magic. I’ve tried more than once but I’ve had this book over a month now and I just can’t. I can’t even tell you what it really is about. There is something about self-help books that kind of annoy me. Maybe they do wonderful things for some people but me they just make my inner self rage a little.
The language used doesn’t grab me and pull me in. It’s all a bit floaty and ‘capacity to transform yourself’ blah blah. Someone is also making a lot of money from these books. Be it the authors or the publishers. They are writing what you want to read. It’s generic and written to pull on all your emotions to be a ‘better’ you.
There is no real eloquent way of putting it. They’re just a bit shit.
I did however hope that the Big Magic would change my perspective on self help books. It has 4 1/2 stars out of 5 on amazon. Obviously some people enjoy it, I’m just not one of them.
So why do I end up buying these books?
Maybe it’s because I am an advertisers dream and a sucker for buying what I think I need rather than what I actually need? Maybe it’s because I somehow think that one of these books will suddenly leave me enlightened and solve all my insecurities? I don’t know. But what ever it is, I promise that I will not buy an another bloody self help book! Here it is in black and white and you can hold me to this!
It surely can’t be just me that struggles with self help books?
Finally someone said it.. I feel the same way about these kind of books. I finish them and end up thinking ‘Did I actually learn anything?’ You’re totally right, they are generic.
Terri / http://www.territalks.co.uk
I’ve never tried a self help book but I’m not really sure they would interest me. Any time I’ve felt the need to better myself I’ve done it because I want to not because a book told me to, so I feel like if I read them I would be in the same boat as you. Interesting post though!
Thanks Siobhan! Self help books should hang out in the fiction section in my mind!
I don’t think I’ve ever fully read a self help book but I have to say that I agree with you, I’m not sure they’d do it for me! X