Self-Help Books & Videos Vs Life Manuals

Listening to Rachel and Suzzette argue about life.

“I don’t care what you say; I am not doing that,” Rachel said into her cellphone.

She listened for a moment, then said, “Carla, Paul, Stacy, and many others did it and are still enduring hell!”

She listened, hissed through her teeth, then hung up.

Suzzette stared at her, then asked, “Which self-help book do you read or video do you watch? Because all of us are spending money on these books and videos, and nothing is happening as they said it would?”

Unconsciously easing back, Rachel gave her a weird look, then said, shocked, “You mean you buy self-help books and watch videos of people telling you how to live?”

“Everybody does,” she defended.

“I don’t!” Rachel informs.

“What?”

“I still owe student loans. I have to help my mother and sisters. I can’t afford to spend money on stuff like that. They are expensive!” she stressed.

“Then how come you know what will and could happen in most of the life situations you find yourself in? I notice how you do things. How?”

“I read life manuals,” Rachel said, staring at her, shocked.

“You read life what?” Suzette asked in shock.

Rachel sighed, stared at her coworker, and repeated slowly so she could understand, “I read life manuals.”

“But our lives don’t come with a manual.”

“Says who?”

Nodding, confusion lined her face.

Rachel elaborated, “Your actions, choices, and decisions show the world how you live. That’s how all of us write our lives.”

“You mean how I live, I am writing my life story for the world to see?” she asked, fear shadowing her eyes.

“How do you think I managed to stay out of hell and its hot water? I read everyone’s life manuals and know what I should and shouldn’t do. When I have a problem, I read the life manuals of some of the people I know. So I don’t do what they did that cost them.”

Rachel read the shock on her face, reached over, took both of her hands, turned her face towards her, and shared, giving her eye contact, “You know what the best part is? All of those manuals are free. It cost me nothing to read them. And I see the consequences, rewards, and punishments paid out live, direct, in real color, and in real time, with the truth attached. That saved me a lot of time, effort, resources, and money. So, stop wasting your money on those self-help books and videos. Life manuals are free. Read them. Learn from them to make better decisions. Their lives play out through how they live, their actions, choices, and decisions too.”

Suzette stared at her in awe as the reality increased the pain she had endured from the many times she followed the advice of those self-help books and videos she spent thousands of dollars on.

“Damn,” her pain said. “These life manuals carried the truth with them and showed it in their lives. Why didn’t you tell me this earlier?”

“Who could convince you that self-help books and videos are like scammers? Their system works for them. It won’t work for you,” Rachel teased.

Suzette sighed again, then said, “You are so right. We all see life as it plays out in those around us. I never thought of it as a manual.”

“They are manuals, and every human writes theirs by how they live and the decisions they make. And we all see and know the outcomes.”

“Wow!” she exclaimed. “Life manuals, ah.”

“Start saving your money by reading the free ones.”

Yes, humans write their lives as they live them. Save the money you spend on those self-help books and videos for a rainy day. Read the free life manuals around you.

Thank you for reading this piece. I hope you enjoyed it.