Many people falsely believe that by reading personal development books, they can easily and quickly improve their lives. Sure, this is partially true: books can both change the way you think and the way you act, so they hold the power to change the way you live. However, this is only possible if you glean a productive, helpful conclusion from a book and then apply it correctly. The first step is to decide which books in this category are truly worth reading.
According to writer Kathryn Schulz, the US personal development books industry was worth $11 billion in 2013. So, it’s not so difficult to conclude why hundreds of personal development books are published around the world each year. Due to competition, each author works hard to advertise his or her book, making choosing the right book for you a difficult task.
There are people who would like to change their lives, who desperately read book after book with the belief that it will help them grow in a positive way. These people are afraid to miss any important point.
But, the most important point is that all personal development books are somehow related. They all share similar ideas that convey key points to positively move your life. There is no need to read all the personal development books to try and make yourself feel better. Try these common tips that the books tend to push:
Be Positive.
Whatever happens, always stay positive; believe that everything will be okay. You must shine with positivity in order to ensure positive things will happen to you. Being positive will allow you to feel loved since positive people know how to motivate other positive people. So, if you are positive, you’ll quickly feel people come to you like a magnet. This quality will help you to be a good leader as well, since good leaders are those who can easily motivate people and make them believe in themselves.
Have a clear vision.
Be specific about what you want and what you aspire to become. Being specific is very important since this will only help you to set goals accordingly. For example, don’t say that you want to be happy — it’s too general. Think about what specifically will make you happy: having a good relationship, a beautiful house by the sea, a good job or a good car? These all are tangible items and ideas that could provide you with happiness, so have a clear vision of what you should work toward.
Believe in yourself.
Once, I participated in a sales seminar and the professional salesman fielded questions after he finished his talk. One girl asked for the first rule of being a good salesman, to which he said that it’s important to have trust in your product. If you cannot trust your product, how can you expect others to trust it? Roughly speaking, any recruitment company that will prepare you for a job interview or a personal development coach will tell you that you are a product, that you have to sell yourself to an employer or to the society in which you live. If you are unsure about yourself, then how can you expect others believe in you.
Do what you like to do.
You cannot be happy or successful unless you’re doing something you enjoy. People always mentally divide their lives: work life and personal life. If a financial or circumstantial situation bars you from making your work comprise of tasks you enjoy (as in, things you don’t find to be “work”), make sure you have hobbies. If you love painting, but can’t afford to do it full-time, be a lawyer (or something else lucrative) and paint during your leisure time.
Thinking about these ideas and drawing your own conclusions will save you a ton of time and money on all the personal development books that offer the same advice.
