Are self-help books just a meme?

are self-help books just a meme?

if not, what are your favorite self-help books?

Yes they are a meme. LMAO if you read this garbage.

Meditations is the only self-help book worthwile

The self-help genre is basically a watered-down version of New Thought, which is a water-down Hermeticism.

The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People
How to Win Friends and Influence People

Of course it is not a meme, don't listen to these plebiaieioaieians. It just depends on your situation. If you happen to have good potential, but lived in a shit situation, these kinds of things can help you get up to where you belong.

They're a total fucking scam. Just platitudes and plagiarism of better things that came before them.

Not a scam, just a modernization on old ideas.

Mediations by Marcus Aurelius
Models by Mark Manson
Feeling Good by David Burns
The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle (if you can look past all mystical energy and vibrations and whatever-the-fuck other new age hippie terminology)

Suck a dick, tai. I'm not buying your shitty book or taking your faggot "courses".

This.

Lot of people arrogantly believe they couldn't benefit from self-help books. Fact is, they're probably more relevant than ever.

I would just add:

Tao te Ching

...

The Power of Positive Thinking (if you're a Christian)

The Power of Habit is legitimately good. It really changed the way I look at things.

Heidi Grant Halvorson- Success

>Models by Mark Manson
try Book of Pook instead, family ;)

>if not, what are your favorite self-help books?

meditations by marcus aurelius

:^D

This, both of these are top-tier.

Not so much a meme as a scam.

Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion
How to Win Friends and Influence People
The Power of Now
The 48 Laws of Power

>How to Win Friends and Influence People

More like How to Come off as a Total Twat and Common Sense haha

Marcus Aurelius' Meditations

No. They're useful in some situations. Don't buy into the hype of needing lots. Go through a highly regarded one and if you think you'd like something similar for a different are of life, get one. If you find it useless (and you're not a dummy) you don't need them.
My favourite is Letters from a Stoic.

Read both.

>following any of the heretic branches of Christianity
I'd say you'll burn in hell for being a heretic but hell is a falsity made by heretics.

The Ego and Its Own

The Feeling Good Handbook by Dr. David Burns--Great if you struggle with anxiety, depression, procrastination, etc. Basically a very cheap way to get Cognitive Behavioral Therapy without going to a therapist.

The Rhythm of Life by Matthew Kelly--Kelly is a Catholic inspirational speaker but this is not an explicitly Catholic book. Kelly believes there are 4 aspects to happiness--physical (diet and exercise, sleep, general health), emotional (strong relationships), intellectual (reading and thinking critically every day), and spiritual (meditation and prayer). He says that if you establish a rhythm/habitual order to your life that includes activities designed to attend to each of the 4 areas you can't go wrong. If you prioritize other pleasures over these eventually you'll be unhappy.

How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie--Most people on Veeky Forums were/are assholes which is why they don't have friends. This book will teach you why and how not to be an asshole so people will be happy to see you.

7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey--Similar to Rhythm of Life but with more of a work oriented focus.

Don't Sweat the Small Stuff...and it's all small stuff by Richard Carlson--A good daily reader with 100 short 1 minute chapters. I'd recommend reading it alongside the others as it has elements of each, like "don't be an asshole," (Carnegie) "pay attention to what matters," (Kelly) "manage your emotions," (Burns) etc. that should reinforce your learning.

I personally don't think they're memes at all. If you find yourself very unhappy and unfulfilled there's nothing wrong with seeking advice to help you. So many don't have mentors or strong parental relationships to teach them essential life lessons and books like these can help you find the timeless ideas everyone should know. Many disparage them as "common sense" but the fact that millions are depressed and medicated (and killing themselves if they aren't) in this country indicates that apparently there's a gap in our "common sense" or it's not as common as we think.

By far the most important insight I got from any of these was from Feeling Good. Burns's key insight is that emotions are easily controlled with rational thought and analysis. So many of our problems originate from irrational, exaggerative negative thinking. Reorient the way you think about your emotions and react to them and you'll be surprised how easy life becomes.

Meditations and Tao To Ching

Unironically Saved my Life

The intelligent investor

I use textbooks like an adult.

>Common Sense
?

Thomas Paine, dumbass!

sorry babe, I thought you were making a funny. Who wrote How to Come off as a Total Twat again?

>denying hell

Way to out yourself, heretic.

>are self-help books just a meme?

Yes. End of.

Why spend your time reading self help books when you could just go to the source and read philosophy?

So if somebody wrote a self-help book called 'Are Self-Help Books Just a Meme' and all that was written inside was 'Yes. End of.', would you still hold the same point of view?

It wouldn't be a self-help book then, would it?

because it would be helpful?

All literature is 'helpful' in some way.

Ancient (and free) stoic writings are probably the best "self-help books".

Epicureanism, Buddhism and Christianity are all good too.

A bunch of dudes from 300-500 years ago wrote about productivity, like benjamin franklin.

The Ego and Its Own

>people from the past are always more knowledgeable than contemporary writers

ok

Does this count as 'self-help?'

still can't believe that he's gone.

Did you do the 10 days?