Why self help books don't work most of the time

Without wishing to undermine the self help nature of what I do here, it is useful to know why it doesn't help to simply read information and expect your life to become miraculously better. The first reason is this:

The mind that reads the self help book cannot understand that it (the mind that initiated the reading) is the problem

Another way of saying this is: the mind that wants to fix itself is already broken.

Luckily, the joyful conclusion we might eventually realise is: there is nothing wrong with me just as I am.

Reaching the point where you realise that there is nothing wrong with you is the mind that is already fixed. If you think you have problems, then you most certainly have problems. If you don't, then you don't.

So, you might not find this helpful because:

a) you're looking for a way out of your torment
b) you need help doing it
c) you feel certain that you need to do something to fix it

In reality what you should be fixing is the idea that these three things are true. The real question is:

how do I find the mind (in me) that is not broken?

Which is like asking someone: how do I become myself?

And this is where we realise that reading a book is not going to do it for us. The only way we can find the contented, blissful person that is hiding deep in the folds of the mind is to actually try to find it. Reading how someone else did it is kind of redundant.

Which leads to the conclusion: reading a self help book will work only if it reinforces my own ability to actively help myself.

If you're not reading the book with this intention, then it will do nothing for you.



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