Your favorite self-help Guru is Slowing your Growth

I was a big fan of self-improvement content. I have read many self-help books on organization, motivation, and habits. YouTube videos on minimalism, productivity, and morning routines were my favorite. I used to spend hours reading blogs about being the best me.

These communities became less and less important to me over time. I was looking for motivation and a boost in my organization skills, so I began to read self-help books. I read Digital Minimalism, Cal Newport*. It inspired me to quit social media for a full year. Next, I read Atomic Habits* by James Clear*. Then I reread The Miracle Morning.

This time it hit me right in the face. This advice is poisonous garbage. This advice is toxic garbage.

You are wasting your time and money when you could be working towards your goal.

You are not equipped with the right tools to reach your goals

Guiding you to the wrong goals

Time and money

It's easy to make yourself feel good about your progress. But it's hard to do the things that will actually help you reach your goals. It's easy for you to buy a pair of running shoes but it's much more difficult to get up at 7am to run. This is what self-help content does, often.

It makes me feel very conflicted. This content is still very appealing to me. It can help me to feel more grounded and reminded of my values. You are only lining the pockets and promoting self-help books after self-help books. This is important to remember

They don't have all the answers and aren't perfect. They are businesspeople, businesspeople who have books, keynotes and openings in their consulting business to sell. (Vox)

You are wasting money if you spend too much time reading self-help books. These resources can be very helpful, but you need to take the time to learn from them and put them into action.

Use the Wrong Tools

These gurus can give you a variety of tools, from very basic to too general to be useful. Gary Vee recommends that you visualize the death of those closest to you in order to have a better perspective on life. This was probably just to get attention. This gets at the root of the problem. Are you willing to accept advice just so that your guru can get more clicks. I believe the answer to that question is no. You will likely traumatize your self in this situation.

Spending time with those you love is a better way to gain perspective. This isn't sexy and witty advice that will spread like wildfire on Twitter. Many of the strategies and tools available to make us happy are already known. These strategies and tools are easy to understand. They don't cost anything and they aren't expensive.

The same goes for other gurus.

Omar Itani

How many shares's article? Jay Shetty's materials have been plagiarized . Even though these gurus have some useful tools, they can be repurposed and made generic, and then stolen or ripped off at worst.

Jordan Peterson's views regarding LGBT+ rights, and maleity are not correct. The "facts" which lay the foundations of his principles and advice are clearly wrong. He is quoted as saying:

"The idea that women have been oppressed throughout history" ( Guardian

Although I don't think I have to justify how ridiculous this is, I do recommend reading more writing by women.

It is worth taking a look at who you are getting life advice from.

Wrong Goals

Many times, self-help groups encourage financial independence and early retirement. However, these goals can lead to unhappy people. They want happiness, and that is what most people want. People believe that having a lot of money makes us happy. We think we can get our time and fulfill our material needs. However, I do not believe that this is what makes us happy.

Self-help gurus often promote the goal of "retirement by 35" or "financial autonomy." However they are called, the idea is to make enough money to invest or create income streams that you can live off for the rest your life.

It is not smart to delay living your life until you retire, regardless of whether you are 35 or 65. Many people were reminded by the pandemic that we don't have a guarantee of living to retirement. Finding balance and fulfillment in your daily life will bring you happiness, rather than hustling and grinding. A compelling video essay from Malama Life on moving away form these goals was something I watched recently. It's a nice antidote for the FIRE Movement way of thinking.

It can be a valuable goal to achieve financial gain. It can help you buy stability and other resources. Studies show that any additional income over $75,000/year won't contribute to happiness. People selling books, courses online, and speaking at public events, etc. They are driven by the desire to make more money. They are financially benefited by having other people invest in their goals.

Your goals are unique to you. It takes self-reflection and time to identify what you want. You must ensure that your goals come from within and not from someone who is trying to get your money.