Right after my first posts "A new
beginning...again", I decided I should try a self-book.
I have avoided self-help books because I have preconceived
notions of what these books are like. And boy oh boy my notions were correct.
I did not really know how to go about finding a self-help
book. I wanted one to help with my self-esteem & self-worth. I did the
easiest thing I could think of and did an Amazon search and sorted the books by
ratings. "The Gifts of Imperfection" by Brene Brown was at the top of
the list. I browsed around a bit and read a preview of this book and
some others, and this one seemed the least annoying. The kindle version was
cheap so I went I bought. I tried to put my preconceived notions aside
and give the book a chance. I got about 25% through and I couldn't do any
more.
Just as I imagined it was full of
cheesy quotes and acronyms invented by the author. The tone of the
book is probably what annoyed me the most. It all just seemed a little
"fake" to me. The author tries to connect by empathizing with the
reader, like she saying "I've been where you have been before". I
have trouble connecting with the author in that manner; I suppose it could just
be that we are different people. She's a female executive and I am a man that
works from home. I just feel that while we both
have experienced anxiety, it just wasn't in the same way. Her anecdotes
seem somewhat dramatized, in addition to her recovery of dealing with anxiety and lack of self-worth. Also, in my opinion, the book is poorly written;
she writes like she talking and it's formatted like a 9th
grade essay with a introduction, body, and conclusion. I don't mean to rip
apart this lady's book. I am sure she is a nice person that really wants to
help people, but her book just isn't for me.
Readers, this is a cry for help. I want a
self-help book, but I am so picky. Please help me
find something good. Here are my requirements:
- I don't want a book full of cheesy quotes.
- I don't want books with weirdo exercises like
staring into a mirror repeating self-affirmations.
- I would like something that can offer some good philosophy, but not religion specific. I find a lot of self help books are Christian oriented which I do not want.
Please readers, I am open to suggestions and
would love to hear what books you have read that helped you in a big
way.
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