I’ve read my fair share of self help books and I find a lot of the genre’s content can be divided into two tones of voice – ‘You’ve got to’ and ‘Kick in the bum’.
The ‘You’ve got to’ authors fill their books with activities you have to do.
‘You’ve got to wake up at 5am!’
‘You have to be working out three times a week!’
‘You’ve got to listen to my tapes no less than 4 hours a day – that is mandatory!’
I reckon the author found a recipe for happiness, was able to implement it themselves and now tried to convince everyone to get on the same routine.
The trouble I find with the ‘You’ve got to’s is that it feels like they’re telling me what to do and I have no say in the matter.
Also the majority of the routines are ridiculous and stand very little chance of having any average person adopt them.
Then there’s the ‘Kick in the bum’ authors who I believe operate under the assumption that the reader already knows what they have to do and it’s just a matter of giving them a wee kick up the bum to get them moving.
This content doesn’t feel like you’re being told what to do but you may feel guilty for not doing more.
The authors usually create the tension needed for action by putting perspective on your situation.
For example…
‘You could die tomorrow’
‘Regret is a very powerful pain’
‘There is no better time to start than now’
Personally I prefer a kick in the bum than listening to what I have to be doing.
But that’s just me and today’s two cents about the self help genre.
Thomas Duggan 