Self Help or Earl Nightingale
Today I was thinking about what it would take to motivate an adult to produce something, or add something to society; one who is otherwise not inclined to do so. I couldn't answer that question about someone else, so I asked myself, "What keeps you motivated?" No, I wasn't looking at myself in the mirror wishing my upper body would not succumb to gravity so easily when I asked this. I wanted to make sure I was in good condition in the self help department. It must be important because people are still writing books and they are still selling. Maybe it works, but who do you know that listens to or reads self help stuff? Other than Mitt; he looks stuffed full of charismatic smack/brainwashing techniques. Sorry dude.
Self help, and the industry that produces the tools for self help are hopelessly at odds. The essential part of self help is the abilty to ask relevant questions of ourselves, not from an outside source. You know, the regular questions; Is my reality real? Am I being hunted? If so, for what? Am I going to make enough money? If not, what then?
The industry cannot be curing people of medioctity, because there would be evidence of it. The message is "You are what you think about". That's it. They are selling you one line. The reason it isn't curing everyone is because they can't do that simple thing for you. The ability to regulate all of your human functions; body, mind, spirit, and keep them balanced can only be done internally. The content coming in matters too, but if you are anywhere close to balanced inside, the things you choose to take in will change. Moderation of the less healthy things becomes easier, and less habitual -in theory.
When I was 16, working my first job, the man I worked for gave me a set of tapes. He told me that this guy, Earl Nightingale, "is amazing. You should listen to these." It was called "The Strangest Secret". My boss was like a second father to me, and I held him in very high regard, so I listened to them. Earl made me feel like I was already a millionaire. I knew I was going to become wealthy; all I had to do was think about it. The motivation lasted as long as the tapes. It did a few things for me; it taught me that money will buy happiness, that good thoughts about money are easy to find, and that pretty much anyone that listenened to it would be rich -eventually. It didn't matter what he taught me though; I've never told a soul because it's embarrassing.
If anyone really wants to decry true self help, and try your raquet in the self help court, go to the master; Earl Nightingale. He created self help as we know it. His life defied death and promoted good thoughts. You can go here to buy his masterpiece, on cd. His story is interesting too. Either way, we are wired to be balanced. If money really is what self help concludes, then maybe more of us need to be self help gurus. I think that is the only alternative to letting someone else do what is already inside us to do.
Self help, and the industry that produces the tools for self help are hopelessly at odds. The essential part of self help is the abilty to ask relevant questions of ourselves, not from an outside source. You know, the regular questions; Is my reality real? Am I being hunted? If so, for what? Am I going to make enough money? If not, what then?
The industry cannot be curing people of medioctity, because there would be evidence of it. The message is "You are what you think about". That's it. They are selling you one line. The reason it isn't curing everyone is because they can't do that simple thing for you. The ability to regulate all of your human functions; body, mind, spirit, and keep them balanced can only be done internally. The content coming in matters too, but if you are anywhere close to balanced inside, the things you choose to take in will change. Moderation of the less healthy things becomes easier, and less habitual -in theory.
When I was 16, working my first job, the man I worked for gave me a set of tapes. He told me that this guy, Earl Nightingale, "is amazing. You should listen to these." It was called "The Strangest Secret". My boss was like a second father to me, and I held him in very high regard, so I listened to them. Earl made me feel like I was already a millionaire. I knew I was going to become wealthy; all I had to do was think about it. The motivation lasted as long as the tapes. It did a few things for me; it taught me that money will buy happiness, that good thoughts about money are easy to find, and that pretty much anyone that listenened to it would be rich -eventually. It didn't matter what he taught me though; I've never told a soul because it's embarrassing.
If anyone really wants to decry true self help, and try your raquet in the self help court, go to the master; Earl Nightingale. He created self help as we know it. His life defied death and promoted good thoughts. You can go here to buy his masterpiece, on cd. His story is interesting too. Either way, we are wired to be balanced. If money really is what self help concludes, then maybe more of us need to be self help gurus. I think that is the only alternative to letting someone else do what is already inside us to do.
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