Have You Ever Wondered How Self-Help Really Works?

Last year was pretty challenging for me. I found myself facing many personal and professional challenges. Fortunately, I managed to get an interview with self-help guru Les Brown. Mr. Brown is well-known for helping thousands of people from all walks of life.

To my surprise, he was delighted to share two hours of his time with me. I was impressed with the things he said, and I wanted to learn more about his personal philosophy on becoming a winner in life. I listened to several more interviews, a fifteen-hour full-length audio book, and read several of his outstanding books.

I scratched my head while reviewing his materials. His ideas were unique and unconventional. I said to myself, “His views are excellent, but will they help me turn my life around?”

I read a few books written by other popular motivational speakers in the past. The concepts in those books simply did not cut the mustard. The ideas looked good on paper, but they were not practical.

I was reserved while reviewing Mr. Brown’s materials. Let’s be honest; many con artists have infiltrated the self-help industry over the years. It is fair to say that many of us have fallen prey to their over-hyped teachings.

Self-help works, but only a few people in the self-help industry are genuine about helping people. This is the primary reason why some honest motivational speakers have a hard time with gaining trust from their audience.

My self-confidence began to increase while reviewing to Mr. Brown’s materials. They changed my outlook on my potential to succeed in life. I began to realize the real value of becoming a confident and productive human being.

Is Mr. Brown the real deal? This was the first question to surface in my mind. Despite my doubts, my life started to improve. My confidence and productivity began to increase. In the end, Mr. Brown’s materials were worth my money and time.

I kept listening. I studied his material every evening. I finally came to two solid conclusions:

1. Beneath the fluff, some solid ideas can provide exceptional results for everyone.

2. His ideas are not presented in an organized manner.

I think it makes sense. As I said earlier, I have read tons of books written by popular self-help gurus. They have a unique style that captures the listener’s or reader’s attention.

They love to inject their personality and charisma into their material. They know how to lure you into their world as you read or listen to their content. If they went straight to the point, there is a strong possibility that you may walk away without becoming inspired to take action.

I believe that mixing different ideas have a strong hypnotic effect, as your brain will try to keep up with the various trails of thought.

It is imperative for me to mention that the gurus may not have a full understanding of the ideas being shared in their materials. If this is the case, it should not come as a shocking surprise.

Motivational speakers know that self-help is effective, but they may not make an effort to learn certain self-help principles before sharing them with their audience. They will use their charm and charisma to convince us to accept these self-help principles.

Have you ever wondered why the language in the self-help industry sounds like pure magic? Well, let’s look at “The Secret.” This material is presented in a subtle form, but it leads us to believe that there is a sense of confusion as to why something works.

There’s an old saying, “If your mind can conceive it and you believe it, you will achieve it!”

That statement is extremely dangerous because it does not take into account the setbacks and price someone will face during the journey of success. Pumping someone up will direct them to success or failure.

Everyone must understand that success comes with time, patience, dedication, and focus. Changing your view on life and creating goals are great, but you must face reality.

It is easy to see why the self-help industry can inspire people to turn their lives around and set people up for failure. This is the main reason why you must take careful precautions while following a self-help guru.

I want you to know that I am not writing this article to criticize the self-help industry. I only want to talk about the core ideas that can help people reach their goals. From my personal experience, I firmly believe that self-help comes down to three main points.

Let’s take a close look at them.

1. Respect the Limitations in Life

Over the years, I have heard people say, “If you put your mind to it, you can do anything in life.” This sounds good, but this is not true! As human beings, we have to accept our limitations.

We are limited by our resources, our environment, and our context. Everything is not achievable in life! Physics plays a significant role in what we can do in this world. For example, you cannot travel to the other side of the galaxy in a matter of seconds.

Moving through the universe at the speed of thought would be fun, but it defies physics. The rate of light enforces the fact that it would take hundreds of thousands of years for you to get to the other side of the galaxy.

It is worth mentioning that the laws of physics dictate that it be impossible for you to travel beyond the orbit of Saturn within the next fifteen minutes.

Within the next few minutes, you could have reached the Moon, the Sun, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Mercury, or the Asteroid Belt.

Well, this notion is supported by the laws of physics.

Other important factors must be taken into consideration. How can you travel without fuel? You need fuel to leave Earth.

Conventional wisdom reveals that you cannot make a giant leap from Earth to the Moon. Your body does not have enough calories to use for energy. You cannot reach escape velocity without energy. You also need other forms of energy to get off the ground.

We have to deal with the laws of physics and thermodynamics. We need fuel to do things, and it takes the time to collect fuel.

At this day and time, we are pretty good at managing fuel. We have received enough fuel to send various objects into space over the years. We have also collected enough fuel to put millions of automobiles on the road around the globe. It is also vital to point out that we have used fuel to build underwater tunnels and beautiful skyscrapers.

We know that we can duplicate the remarkable feats accomplished in the past. We also know that we have the potential to surpass the achievements of yesterday.

In laymen terms, we are nowhere close to our full potential. We can practically do anything that does not defy the natural limitations imposed upon us. Your self-confidence and creativity can help you become an unstoppable force in life.

We cannot afford to get caught up in the hype of possibilities. We are deceiving ourselves when we believe that our circumstances and resources can keep us from reaching our full human potential.

Can I defy the odds and become the next president of The United States of America? Can I become a CEO for a fortune five hundred company?

You can achieve these feats and much more! The laws of physics are not affiliated with these achievements.

Let’s break something down. Becoming the next President of one of the most powerful nations on this planet would be a huge challenge. Nevertheless, it is still possible. Running for the U.S. Presidency would not defy the speed of light or the conservation of energy. I do not need much fuel to run for this prestigious position.

Someone in the past has done everything we dream of, or someone has proven to be capable of doing it. We know that it is humanly possible. We are aware that it is within our grasp.

I try to remind myself of this daily. On some occasions, I asked myself the following question while facing a big challenge:

“Is it thermodynamically possible?”

If the answer is yes, then I know that I can overcome that challenge. It comes down to me finding the right path and approach. I must believe that I can overcome the odds.

Fortunately, we have a powerful tool in our arsenal.

2. The Pure Power of the Human Brain

It is important for you to remind yourself that you have an exceptional powerful computer sitting in your skull. It is capable of outwitting our environment. You can use your brain to fulfill your dreams. This is the main reason why scientists have been fascinated with the human brain for hundreds of years.

Wouldn’t it be great if all the succulent plants grew in one area in the forest? If this were true, it would be easier for us to collect them.

Wouldn’t it be amazing if the power of lightning would only show up if we needed it provide light for our homes? If this were the case, lightening would not be considered a natural disaster.

Wouldn’t it be amazing if we could walk on a smooth surface without rocks or pebbles?

All these things are possible in the natural world, but we have a hard time believing they can come to fruition.

The human brain is the key to helping us understand how self-help works. The human brain has figured out how we should view these remote possibilities and make them the center stage of life. This is the power of the human brain!

The laws of physics limit the human brain, but it is still the most powerful force in the universe. In the past, many conflicts between men have been resolved with the aid of the human brain. It is virtually impossible to measure the power of your mind. No other force known to man can create sudden and unpredictable changes in a physical system.

As well-renowned scientist David Deutsch stated, “If we wanted to know the future of a supernova, the most vital question we have to ask ourselves is whether there are any brains in the area.”

I firmly believe this is why self-help gurus say things like: “If your mind can conceive it, and you believe it, you can achieve it.”

As I stated earlier, this statement is impressive, but it is not the real truth. However, it comes close to the truth. Brains play a vital role when human beings do exceptional things.

The human brain has the potential to make a difference that didn’t exist anywhere else in the universe. It is a grave mistake for anyone to underestimate the power of the human brain. To benefit from the power of your mind, you must put it to use.

3. The Inner Conflict

I will now touch on a real issue that affects people from all walks of life. Our brains are filled with internal conflict. Unfortunately, we are at war with ourselves.

In many instances, we allow our fears to hinder us from pursuing our goals. At the end of the day, we are responsible for sabotaging our efforts.

These things happen because our minds are divided. Part of us is interested in doing one thing, while the part of us is interested in doing another thing. As Paul, the Apostle stated, “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but I pursue those things I hate.”

What is the actual nature of the brain? The brain is filled with different voices. I must point out that this is not a bad thing. These voices remind us to take care of the important things in our lives.

These voices must learn how to work together. If they do not, nothing special will happen.

We only need to focus on doing two things:

• Come up with new and fresh ideas.

• Take immediate action.

We need fresh ideas if we want to accomplish something that has never been done. We need to follow a solid plan if we want to achieve something that has been done in the past. In both scenarios, we only need to point ourselves in the right direction and take immediate action.

I hate to say this, but our minds are notorious for resisting our will to succeed. They are always plotting against us. This is a form of mutiny.

How can we deal with this problem? How can we get our minds to cooperate?

I think this is the point where the self-help gurus have a difference of opinion. They all seem to have various strategies for getting our minds into shape.

Becoming a successful CEO of a multi-national corporation is different from becoming a professional athlete. They require different techniques, strategies, etc. However, both endeavors require the aid of the human brain.

I believe if we understand this, we will be able to see the clues and guidelines that can help us develop our self-help plans.

Here are five points for you to remember:

• We cannot depend on sheer will power alone. If we do, we are setting ourselves up for failure. One part of our mind will attack another part of our mind. This will cause internal conflict. A mind filled with conflict will not function well.

• A happy mind will be more creative. You must fill your thoughts with joy, peace, and gratitude. This approach will also keep your mind healthy.

• You should not force your mind to do something. Your mind wants to be led. Allow your visions to inspire you. This is how consciousness works: we vision something, we concentrate on it, and we allow it to attract our diverse voices. This is the most effect way of leading your mind in the right direction.

• Your mind will be at ease if it is focused on passion, love, and other positive attributes.

• Don’t underestimate the physical. Studies show that listening to music and exercising has a powerful effect on the brain.

We are responsible for our happiness and success. Happiness and success start within. We cannot afford to stand in our way. In short, we must come up with fresh ideas and pursue them.

Final Words

(a) We must remember that our limits are not that restrictive. Using our imagination if the key to seeing our infinite possibilities.

(b) Your mind is the most powerful thing in the universe. You must use your supercomputer.

(c) You can create new ideas if you can discipline your mind, and use the strategies in this article.

(d) Focus, vision, and gratitude are the keys that can open the doors to success.