I was in Virgin Megastores the other day browsing the new books … I noticed two young men, in their early twenties. One was browsing the business section, and if my memory serves me, he had one of Jack Welch‘s books in hand and was very excited. The other was standing at a safe distance from the self-help section, making sure that he’s not seen by his obviously more extrovert friend.
I smiled and remembered when I used to sneer at self-help books and all those that felt the need to read them. Nowadays, aside from personal branding and marketing books, self-help books are all I read!
It all started out as a challenge with a girl I wanted to impress that I caught reading The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari by Robin Sharma – I had noticed the book in the self-help section “from a distance” before! “Seriously, self-help books, come on … you’re kidding, right?”, I said mockingly. “You know what? I’m going to buy the book and read it, then call you up and prove to you how ridiculous this sh*t is!” Three days later, I ring her up and all I could say was, “Thank you, this book changed my life!”
We all need help … the moment we realize that, we start becoming better people. Seeking inner peace, which is mostly what self-help books try to teach us, is the key to eternal happiness, with yourself, with your partner, with your family, at work, and with the world! I was once a skeptic and now I’m not only a believer, but a preacher in the beauty life has to offer.
Pick up a book; give it a try. You have nothing to lose, and eternal happiness to win!
Winston Churchill said “The farther backward you can look, the farther forward you will see.” And William Faulkner said “Don’t bother just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors. Try to be better than yourself.”Therefore, I say look as far backward as you possibly can to see your old self in order for your to see farther ahead and better your future self. And to do that, as you said John, we all need a helping hand. So don’t be ashamed to ask for a nudge in order to become a better YOU!