Self-Help Books

karen2karen ♦ March 27, 2014 ♦ Leave a comment

Self help books- Everybody buys them at some point. You know how it goes. It is kind of bothering you that you never finish all the things on your to-do list or maybe you’ve realized that the last time you served your kids vegetables was almost 4 months ago. So you resolve to fix this problem and stop by the book store. You walk in nonchalantly, pretend that you are just browsing, then skulk into the self-help section with your head lowered. You are hoping no one you know has seen you there. You get nervous, frustrated… Too many choices…Too many people are there today, so you just head home. You will order your book on Amazon instead. Yes, you feel better.
The inspiring tome arrives in the mail promising to put a stop to sibling rivalry in 10 days or less, or to make you an extra million a year if you just follow these few easy steps. You are hopeful…You slip the book on a shelf. You will read it later. Really, you will… A couple days pass… a week. Guilt turns to annoyance. Couldn’t whatever is in the stupid book just sink in by osmosis somehow? Now, not only are you not finishing your to-do list, but you have added something to it! I mean, you had good intentions… you meant to get to it…you have even picked it up several times…and even opened it once but something came up and you put it back on the shelf.
After a short period of self loathing, you get angry…let’s face it.–nobody really reads these things! We all buy them in a moment of quiet desperation with the best of intentions, but seriously who really wants to sit down and go through it page by page? Really…Really? The more you think about it, the more indignant you become. Get real! The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People? How arrogant and offensive is that title? How do they know I am not one of those type people? Or better still, how about retitling it The Seriously Annoying Tendencies of Anal-Retentive Overachievers? The stinkers…Who do they think they are? Eating Well All the Days of Your Life… Really…Really? What a load of crap! I am going to go make myself an ice cream sundae!