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Why Self-Help Books Don’t Help The Average 20-Something-Year-Old
As a young adult who has an identity crisis every other business day, I’m no stranger to gorging myself with self-help books in order to quench my overwhelming feelings of constant ineptitude. Seemingly well-intentioned, self-help books are “any books written with the explicit intention of helping its readers change or improve some aspect of their personal or professional lives.”
I’ve been around the block with self-help literature, and while the premise of these books includes a mentor who will take your hand and guide you through every step you need to take to achieve greatness, I’ll always stop in the middle of our little stroll feeling like they’ve dropped me off in the middle of nowhere.
Don’t get me wrong here: there have been moments where I’ve been granted a great deal of guidance through self-help literature. It taught me about the importance of goal setting, time management, and the art of taking initiative, which is all excellent soft skills to implement into your professional career.
Self-help books have even helped on a personal level, for without some of their thoughtful encouragement, I don’t think I would’ve taken the leap to purchase a one-way ticket to Southeast Asia, created a website, or been able to abandon a toxic and emotionally-empty relationship.