What are some actual good self-help books?

I opened a self-help book thread some time ago, I gathered all the books people posted for further threads like this one.
MY opinion is that most of those books don't worth a thing. Maybe there is something good on that list but it will be like squeezing dry fruit, you'll get very little juice.
also, most of these books are "a personal matter". I mean, it will work or not depending who you are and how you behave. That's why I find most of them to be bullshit while other person could see a lot of good in there.

In the philosophy of Plato and Aristotle, the final cause of all human endavours lies in achieving happiness. All other goals are but a means to this end, whereas happiness is an end in and off itself. In Aristotelian language, one might substitute the euphemistic term of "self-help" with "actualizing ones potential."

This is a noble and worthwhile endavour, and as such, it shouldn't be approached sloppily. One ought to find the most efficient way, and in order to have this discernment, a capacity for analyzing the formal structure of a given system and it's consequent methedology is of utmost necessity.

This is why I recommend studying first hand sources whenever possible, supplemented with an understanding of cultural eras -- this will greatly aid the formulation of a worldview and the adaptation of a proper methodology to navigate it, but more importantly, you will be able to tell whose ideas you have been influenced by through second/twentieth hand sources and which elements of cultural eras you have absorbed.

With that said, what is your problem specifically? I might have a couple of recommendations.

Meditations nigguh.
Really, why don't you try and write one yourself? Get a notebook, think about what you are doing wrong and how to improve and then write it down. If you do this as a process and identify the things you do wrong in your own life you are more likely to gain some benefit than if you just read some generalised book that does not actually help at all.

I'm ashamed to say that I've read almost all those books, and can thus confirm that they are all useless. Except for "Thinking fast and slow", which is not what people think when they read "self-help" though.

its alright. ive read a few more self help books than i'd be willing to admit, but at least we both know many of these are shit and move on to reading better books.

The Power of Now helped me friend. The year and a half when I was most under its influence I regard as the best period of my life.

Thinking fast and slow it's not a self-help book, also is pretty dull and large for the point the author wants to make.

I'm pretty cynical when it comes to self help books, but I found The Road Less Traveled by M. Scott Peck really useful. Still go back to it every now and then.

>is pretty dull and large for the point the author wants to make.

I find that this is true of a lot of (otherwise very good) books. They are usually based on a paper or an article that already contains all the central points, and then the editor force them to expand the same idea to at least 200-300 pages, because no one would pay for a 5-pages article.

The Enchiridion (Handbook) of Epictetus.

Only self-help book you will ever need.

Enchiridion means handbook.

This is like saying The Bible (Books).

It's usually referred to and sold as 'Enchiridion', I've translated the title so you know what it means. Obviously.

You guys are hilarious.

>no one would pay for a 5-pages article.

You haven't been at college.
Stay away. take my advice.

My university subscribes to a lot of journals and aggregators of articles, and I can connect to their proxies from home. I always find everything this way.

All universities suscribe to some packs. next time take look at the prices, sometimes you can find them at the top of the first page. you can find 20-30$ per article.
dig into how the academic world and the editorials work. "redpill" yourself on this matter for your own safety.

I mean I have never had to pay. Whenever I see a citation I search for the article using my college proxy and it's always free. But I'm studying philosophy and only rarely look for articles in other subjects, so maybe it's different for scientific fields?

In the case of $30 articles, where are the money going? To the university, to the authors or the journal? In the first case, it may be relevant that I study in Europe, and most universities are funded by the government.

TAKE SHROOMS LMAOOOOO

I am also european, this shit runs on all countries. the money goes to Springer, Elservbier, or whatever. I'll try to explain you how this thing works
-I'm a biologist (as example) and I want to make a career into the university as a teacher/researcher.
-I have to do my doctorate. also, I need to have some publications on high impact journals.
-I do a research about the interaction between X and Y. this costs me time and effort.
-I submit it to some journals. they correct it and decide if they publish it or not. (caution, sometime you'll have to pay for you article to be reviwed). if they publish it, they put the price and submit to their site.
-other universitis and colleagues have to pay for that work.

that's it, the authors ussually see little to none money for their work. but the system still working because you need the publications to get into the university.
trust me. read the laws and statutes of your college. talk with some teacher you rely on about how the damn thing works.

my problems are muddy. I've been perpetually depressed and lost for the last year. I've worked out, dieted, meditated, the works. I've figured the root issue is probably "spiritual". I used to be a dogmatic protestant and I've slipped back to a more neutral theistic position. All of my assumptions have been shattered and I just want to develop comfortable, practical worldview right now. The angst is not good for my well-being. I may not even need to construct a new worldview (which might end up becoming counterproductive). I just want to develop my direction so I can feel like I have a purpose. Stoic philosophy, mysticism, meditation, and Buddhism have interested me for this reason.

you're referring to the work by Marcus Aurelius?

I journal on the side. But, I've found that it's useful to hear about the approaches of people who've been at it for much longer than I have.

Only self help books I've ever read:
>No More Mr. Nice Guy
This is a great book, honestly. Should be required reading for most men.
>Models by Mark Manson
Kind of like a follow up to the above, taught me how to not be a sperg around women.
>Book of Pook
Another good one, but not sure if it'll classify as self help. Loved the author's humorous approach tbqh.
>The Secret
Not sure how I read this, but I found it too good to be true. Not recommended.

Other than that I've heard How to Win Friends and influence People is great but I've never read it.

++ models

will check out no more mr and how to win

This, desu.
Daodejing is the goat, but what you need will be specific to you. Reading spoopy o9a writings is good also. Really gets you to consider.

For me, my spiritual problems lied in not being able to reconcile my past with my current theological stance. For the past few years I've been a nihilist. Lately though, I've tried to give scripture another try.

I got into Russian literature, started reading Tolstoy, and came across his book The Kingdom of God is Within You.

In it, he goes over passages directly from scripture that shape his Christian worldview.

He essentially argues that the church (in Russia at least) was corrupt by advocating a state agenda above Christ's teachings. So he distances himself from organized faith and reads the New Testament from his own perspective. A "self-oriented" Christianity but still following the teachings of Jesus to the best of his ability.

While listening to this, I started following along in the Bible and drawing my own conclusions. It really felt like I was reading it without bias for the first time. But its a different time. Take what you like from the Bible and discard the rest.

Piss off the Protestants and run circles around the Catholics with your Bible knowledge while being a dissenter.

Gateless by Sebastian Marshall. I'm halfway through it and it's great.

Alice Miller
Karen Horney

Models was pretty good. You should check out The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck too, by the same author.

Gorilla Mindthet

I see. I've been in a similar position, but I won't bore you with the details.

"Exhortation to Philosophy" by Iamblichus and "Cultivating the Tao" by Liu Yiming are both excellent introductory summaries of two exceedingly rich traditions, providing the reader with an impetus for the mystical life and precepts of wisdom to live by.

Self-help books are for capitalist fuckbois who want to put a bandaid on and get back in the ring. If you got problems, you need another human to help you. Get a shrink (and not one those CBT 10-sessions-and-done hacks).

...

I have some scribblings I shit onto some toilet tissue. Want to read them? They'll help you as much as this garbage.

This shit right here, only the Frame translation

I am interested in purchasing Montaigne's collected works but I don't have any foundation in philosophy yet. Will I be able to understand him or are there certain things I need to read first?

I had barely any experience with literature before reading all of the essays and I enjoyed them so I'd say no.

>Reading books to "improve" yourself

is the knowledge to improve oneself innate?

...

www dot currentaffairs.org/2017/01/finding-your-inner-gorilla

self help books are not quite effective. just fine a good book and draw morals from within. apply those to your life.

regardless of your religion you should read the bible and Greek mythology. the stories are entertaining and contain some level of mysticism. the morals are easy to digest and even easier to apply.

kek, Cernovich BTFO

Why on Earth anyone placed Seneca's De Brevitate Vitae ("On the Shortness of Life") with the majority of these choices escapes me. It's an interesting moral essay concerned with Stoic principles.

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