Why Read Self-Help Books

Today's article is by Yan Wei Chue, who ran a personal development blog http://www.livingthegreat.blogspot.com.  When I last checked there were no recent blog posts by Yan Wei, but I found this particular article so powerful I obtained permission to reproduce it here.

When you have read all about WHY you should read self-help books, if you want to get access to a regular stream of FREE personal development material, then join my Great Personal Development Material project!  You can join here:

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Why Read Self-help Books and Attend Personal Development Seminars?

We live in a very competitive world. Any individual who wants a piece of pie in this world has to fight for it.

Today we go about getting a larger piece of the pie by increasing our self-worth through various means. For some, it means going back to school to pursue a higher education. Some continue to believe that sheer hard work is the practical way to success. Whereas a minority does nothing and hope that they can become better people.

There is an increasing trend where people turn to self-help books and seminars to improve themselves. And the results are extremely promising and encouraging.

To many of those who do not have the habit of reading, this alternative may seem boring and nerdy. Boring and nerdy would never be the words you or I would use to describe once we recognize the many benefits they have.

What is the magic behind these books and seminars? Foremost, they provide motivation. Massive and focused motivation in areas you are interested in improving on. Motivation is a crucial key to success in life. And the most convenient source of motivation comes from these books and seminars. Motivation empowers an individual with a positive mindset, the correct attitude: this greatly increases his energy, drive and productivity. We are constantly surrounded with negativity, from people, TV, radio, it's important that we get out of this negativity by reading uplifting and positive books.

Self-help books and seminars provide an array of specialized knowledge that is not available in the current education system. What is this specialized knowledge? What you seek is what you get. There are lots and lots of books in so many areas, all it requires you are some time, effort and maybe money to get your hands on the information you seek through the book. This specialized knowledge is extremely valuable and practical once you applied it. New knowledge opens the mind. You will be exposed to new ideas and perspectives from different schools of thoughts to improve yourself and to an extent for some, they suffer "information overload". My advice for you is to apply as many of the ideas you have learnt, discard those that do not work for you, keep those that are effective and see the positive changes take place in your life.

The acquisition of new knowledge is vitally important to remain competitive in today's world. However, knowledge alone is not sufficient to bring you to greater heights. What I have learnt from these books and seminars is that they have the ability to act as mentors in our lives. Mentors have valuable experience in their specialized fields to share that will provide any individual with insights and ideas never known to them. This can greatly shorten the learning curve and reduce any trial and error needed to achieve the outcome. However, everyone recognizes the many benefits of a good mentor but not many of us take the effort or are lucky enough to find such a mentor. Self-help books and seminars are an extraordinary source of accumulated experience of the authors and speakers. The essence of their experiences lies deep in these materials and is easily accessible to anyone who makes the effort to understand, learn and apply what is taught. For some, they never managed to see the valuable experience that lies right in front of them and they never will until the day they feel that is so much pain in their lives and that something must be done. Wouldn't it be too late by then? Read with a definite purpose; ask yourself, "What information am I seeking for, what is my purpose of reading this book?" Self-help books and seminars are your best mentors till you find the one that is willing to enrich and guide you.

Looking for a mentor to guide you is a MUST if you seek to achieve success in the shortest time possible. Where and how do you go about finding them? A self-help seminar is one highly possible place. These seminars are a congregation of highly motivated individuals who come from various fields and age groups and most importantly, many of them are very helpful people. The speakers themselves can be your mentors as well. There is no other better place as compared to a self-help seminar. Networking is the key to finding your ideal mentor. You will never know when you will find such a person. In short, it takes courage, persistence and a respectable amount of self-confidence in yourself to impress and convince someone to be your mentor. Remember that these mentors you seek are very busy people themselves. Instead of satisfying your needs, think about what you can offer to your mentor first. Give before you receive. They may not become your mentors but beautiful friendship may bloom and soon you realized that you are completely surrounded by positive and highly motivated people. It was Jim Rohn who said, "You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with." And since you are surrounded by positive and energetic people, you will experience new vibrant energy to propel you to greater heights in your life.

Copyrights © Yan Wei Chue

All Rights Reserved

Increase your Income by 1000 percent

How would you like to increase your income by 1,000% in 10 years?  Not all at the end of a decade, either, but a steady build up year by year, month by month?

Or how would you like to gain the equivalent knowledge of a PhD in astrophysics every year?  Not actually in astrophysics, of course (unless you particularly want to be an astrophysicist!), but in any subject area whatsoever that appeals to you?  Maybe in subjects that specifically relate to the areas of personal development on which you are working right now?

Watch this short video by Bryan Tracy and you will learn exactly how he does this and how you can too.

Ignore the website address that irritatingly appears at the bottom of the screen though, as it is not related either to the topic or to Bryan Tracy and the site does not appear to exist now anyway!  But it certainly did not prevent me learning some very powerful yet simple secrets when I watched this amazing video clip!



If this presentation by Bryan Tracy has whet your appetite for more gems from Bryan, then take a look at this book by him, "Create Your Own Future", which will show you how to set goals, unlock your inborn creativity, and overcome any obstacle in your path - and so very much more besides!

Cranial Comeback

Boost your brain power in middle age

By Amy Anderson

As you age, your brain is more easily distracted and slower to retrieve information. It has trouble shutting out mental chatter and concentrating on the task at hand. That’s why you walk into a room to find the keys — that you’ve lost again — only to forget why you were there in the first place.

But a recent study called Midlife in the United States, or Midus, revealed that one of the most important elements in retaining memory and other cognitive skills over age 50 is a college degree. “Education seems to be an elixir that can bring us a healthy body and mind throughout adulthood and even a longer life,” says Margie E. Lachman, a psychologist at Brandeis University and a principal investigator for Midus.

Higher education slows the brain’s aging process by up to a decade, allowing people in their 50s to test in the range of less-educated people in their 40s. The more years of school someone has, the better he or she did on calculations, memory and reasoning tests. The study also revealed that higher education is associated with a longer life and a decreased risk of dementia.

But there were other similarities among those who scored the best on cognitive tests, including regular exercise, volunteering or belonging to organizations, being socially active and remaining calm in the face of stress.

Fortunately, the study found that people who regularly challenged their brains by reading, writing, attending lectures or working word puzzles did better on intelligence tests and even made up the difference between themselves and their more highly educated counterparts. “We have shown that those with less education may be able to compensate and look more like those who have higher education by adopting some of the common practices of the highly educated,” Lachman says.

In fact, regular mental challenges will actually alter your brain’s neural circuits, even as you age, making it more responsive. The earlier you start, the larger the impact, so keep reading and make a plan to get in a cognitive workout daily.