My Problem with Self-Help

Or rather, the “Self-help movement,” a multi-billion dollar publishing industry. 158.1 in the Dewey Decimal system. In most libraries, it’s the biggest shelf-squatter in the building. I’ve read my share of self-help books, some required for college courses, like Steven Covey’s The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, to the Anthony Robbins “personal power” mental techniques, to a lot of touchy-feely kumbaya 60s and 70s detritus I’m too embarrassed to list.

Has anything stuck, to my knowledge, in my life?

Yeah. Somes. Maybe one or two percent of what I’ve read. Certainly not worth the investment in time and money.

So what’s my problem?

Let’s forget that self-help authors operate in a “Savior Mode.” What this means is that they promise to solve all your problems – as long as you work their program (a convenient and, admittedly, valid out). The problem is, to someone who promises to solve all your problems, what are they going to do when you have none? They have a vested interest in the status quo, in the general malaise and dissatisfaction of mankind. If their message actually worked, eventually they would be out of business. So, much like a lot of PACs in Washington today, they actually need the problems to continue so the money will flow. And flow it does …

Let’s also forget that 95 percent of “self-help” stuff (books, CDs, DVDs, etc) are just different ways of restating the same old gunk. And what is the same old gunk? Well, anyone who’s read a self-help book will be quite familiar with the basic repertoire: affirmations, goals, and hefty doses of syrupy, gooey self-okayness. Now, in and of itself, setting goals is an effective way of bettering oneself. Something one should have been taught by one’s parents, and something one should teach one’s children. Same goes for positive self-talk. But do we really need to spend four or five billion dollars a year to read and listen to people who can write and speak well to tell us this?

My real problem is that so much of “self-help” is founded in New Thought. This is a philosophy quite popular about a century or so ago which has some of its foundations in old-time pagan beliefs such as gnosticism and pantheism. It’s New Age, though it’s very, very old. The basic tenet is that your mind shapes reality. Literally. We’re little gods. If you want more money, just think about it often and with much conviction. Before you know it – voila! – your making five grand a year more. Or ten grand. Or a million. It all depends on YOU.

I think deep down we all know this is hokum to a certain extent. Yes, a positive self-image will lead to people liking you more, will lead to you doing more, which should lead to material rewards at some point. No, a positive self-image will not result in scads and oodles of money mysteriously being funneled your way. And I think that is the suggestion a lot of these books attempt to plant, implicitly or explicitly.

A couple of years back I read something that immediately floored me. I can’t dig up the exact quote right now, so I’ll paraphrase, and apologies to the author: If you call yourself a Christian, that means Jesus Christ is your Savior. You believe everything He says. You put your trust in Him, and Him alone. (A long list of potential candidates for the number one spot in your life follow and are cast aside, including – ) You can throw away all those “self-help” books, you can disregard all those “self-help” gurus, because you now have the ultimate Helper.

Do you believe this?

It’s how I’ve been living the past two years, and, honestly, it’s a lot tougher than dropping fifteen bucks for the latest Tony Robbins book.