Self Help or Help Self

I start with such enthusiasm. This is great! I can do this! My goal is ABC... and I'm going to reach it in 1234... This book is going to get me to where/who I want to be.


Page 1... That's exactly what I want. Oh yes, I do that. Page 2, 3, 4... This book is going to help me so much. I should have bought this ages ago. This author knows exactly what they are writing about. I must look for more books written by this person.

And so I continue to read this book to a better me and before I'm done, I've bought a half dozen more. And then lying in bed reading I get to that very important part... the exercises (Not necessarily physical, but writing stuff down, or meditating, or...). I'm in bed and it's late, so I'll start tomorrow.

And tomorrow the kids are sick or I have to work on a homework assignment. The next day the dogs need to go to the vet and I need to visit my friend. By day 7, I'm starting to admit, all be it very sheepishly that there is either something wrong with me, or the book.

I started the book because I felt there was something in me I could improve on, so it must be me and not the book. But hang on, if the book is that great, why couldn't it get me through to the end. Maybe there's a different kind of book for people like myself who can't complete the exercises. Maybe I need to give up on the books and attend a course where
someone is watching me do the exercises.

So I have a house full of half finished self help books which are great books, just none that I've managed to finish. Let me take that back. I have finished reading some, just not done the exercises which are critical to the program working.

I'm not shooting these books down as I have managed an exercise here and there and it has helped, but any ideas on how I do help myself where I can't cop out because I'm in bed and it's too late to start with the exercises?