The only way to get rich from a self-help book is to write one

[opaque]

I read this somewhere in the internet and think it's true. I really do not think the motivational speakers are making any real change in people's lives. They talk, they write and earn a good fortune for themselves.

People who are dependent on these books tend to read them often without putting any real effort to make changes in their own lives. It becomes an addiction for them and they keep coming back to the programs.

When was the last time you saw someone who became a millionaire on reading a self help book?

[invisiblehouses]

Most people who become millionaires (who start out as non-millionaires) get that way by taking action.

Some of these folks might have read a book relating to the principle of taking action at some point, but the "ending up with a million dollars" part generally only occurs after they figure out what they want and take action on it.

Just reading the book and taking no action? That doesn't work. It's lazy, and a laziness mindset is one that repels money. Try it sometime; get drunk, lay on the couch and slur, "I ain't doin' S**T no more!" and stay there for a month. See how much cash rolls in.

Motivational speakers aren't there to change your life. They're there to inspire you to change your own life. Waiting for someone else to do it is laziness again.

[Mounds]

Originally Posted by opaque

People who are dependent on these books tend to read them often without putting any real effort to make changes in their own lives. It becomes an addiction for them and they keep coming back to the programs.

Who's problem is that?

If I were to buy a bag of carrots and let them spoil in the fridge, blaming the grocery store is silly.

When was the last time you saw someone who became a millionaire on reading a self help book?

I have one book that "made" me $20,000 and will continue to make substantial amounts until I stop applying the principles.

I have a couple of other ones that "make" smaller amounts but substantial none the less.

You can get rich doing pretty much anything if you're willing to learn and apply those lessons. Most people don't do that; they wait for someone to tell them the secret to instant success. Personally, I don't agree with perpetuating that belief (which I think certain guru's do). In that respect, I agree with you.

[BillyTheAdult]

Originally Posted by Mounds

I have one book that "made" me $20,000 and will continue to make substantial amounts until I stop applying the principles.

Which book is that?

[Wizardofwisdom]

Originally Posted by opaque

I read this somewhere in the internet and think it's true. I really do not think the motivational speakers are making any real change in people's lives. They talk, they write and earn a good fortune for themselves.

People who are dependent on these books tend to read them often without putting any real effort to make changes in their own lives. It becomes an addiction for them and they keep coming back to the programs.

When was the last time you saw someone who became a millionaire on reading a self help book?

Hi Opaque,

Let me be right up front here and declare that I have written a self help book - although I'm a long way from being a millionaire from it!

You've actually made three distinct points in your post, the first being that the only beneficiaries of motivational books are the authors. I wonder if you have anything to back that claim up, other than your own belief?

I personally know a guy who is well on his way to becoming a millionaire - and who is also genuinely changing lives for the better, (he motivates people to eat healthy food), because he read - and acted on - a couple of self help books about fifteen years ago.

Myself, I'd still be smoking if it wasn't for a self help book. (Or maybe dead from lung cancer). I seriously doubt if I'd have taken the risks that led to me meeting and marrying my wonderful wife if I hadn't read "Feel The Fear And Do It Anyway" twenty five or so years ago ...

I could give you countless more personal examples, but I want to move onto your next point regarding people who read them but then make no effort to change.

It's well known that that happens a lot. You are quite right. But I believe that the vast majority of those readers are desperate for change and also are paralysed by fear. The worst of those is probably fear of being rejected by their peers, (the "Life Sucks Club" has a lot of members!), but they don't realise it. If one author, one paragraph or even one sentence frees them to begin making change then it was worth a library full of books read to get them to that point.

The ones I find the most challenging are those who say they want to change but won't read anything! That hurts me because I know - from massive personal experience - that we, as human beings, have the power to change ourselves and to bring about the conditions of our lives as we would wish them to be.

And finally, (because I could write a whole other book based on these points!), I have already told you of one friend who has become wealthy by acting on self help books, and I can quickly think of several others, including a lady who lives near me, (and who has become a personal friend), who has a six figure income part of which she attributes to following advice she got from a Paul McKenna book.

I hope I've made you think again because your cynicism could be keeping you from a lot of powerful and rapid growth.

Thanks for sharing though - I appreciate your forthrightness.
All good things,
Trevor.

[Mounds]

Originally Posted by BillyTheAdult

Which book is that?

I Will Teach You To Be Rich by Ramit Sethi

[Dandy]

Originally Posted by opaque

I read this somewhere in the internet and think it's true. I really do not think the motivational speakers are making any real change in people's lives. They talk, they write and earn a good fortune for themselves.

People who are dependent on these books tend to read them often without putting any real effort to make changes in their own lives. It becomes an addiction for them and they keep coming back to the programs.

When was the last time you saw someone who became a millionaire on reading a self help book?

Don't tell me that you really believe that one can get rich by reading a book?
So at the college you read a lot of books but if you don't implement the knowledge you can't achieve a "getting rich" dream.

Also I think that people like Tony Robbins and Steve Pavlina , Brian Tracy etc.. attract people who wan't to make change in their life or who are ambitious. I don't have statistics but I am pretty confident that from 7 billion people on Earth only small percent get rich.

Rich and successful people learn for life (many,many books...) so there is a great possibility that they actually read books from motivational speakers. Also people like Brian Tracy train staff/people who work for the Fortune500 companies.

[Dandy]

Originally Posted by Wizardofwisdom

Hi Opaque,


It's well known that that happens a lot. You are quite right. But I believe that the vast majority of those readers are desperate for change and also are paralysed by fear. The worst of those is probably fear of being rejected by their peers, (the "Life Sucks Club" has a lot of members!), but they don't realise it. If one author, one paragraph or even one sentence frees them to begin making change then it was worth a library full of books read to get them to that point.

Well said !!!

[Acting Like Godot]

Do you believe that it is possible to learn useful things from another person? Eg someone who has more experience, expertise or insight about a particular area, than yourself?

If you do, then surely it is possible to learn useful things from a book. A book is really a person's words, detailing his experience, knowledge, observations, tips, advice etc about a particular area.

Of course, the application is all up to yourself.

Many self-help books just state common sense. Nevertheless they can do a good job in organising and compiling commonsensical ideas into an accessible, easy-to-read form, so you get to see all the ideas presented neatly and nicely.

What is the worth of a good idea? Imagine that you bought a book for $15, and from this book, you only extracted one good idea, but you did implement it. It could be a piece of advice about time management, or communicating with others, or reducing your debt etc. It's a piece of advice that you end up applying for many years.

You don't think that's worth $15?

[BillyTheAdult]

Originally Posted by Mounds

I Will Teach You To Be Rich by Ramit Sethi

I thought you might say that. I read this book a few chapters in and I found the recurring theme to be get out of debt. Before following the others steps even, get out of debt. So I decided to get out of debt and I put it down. Well now right about a year later I am out of debt. I guess I it's time to pick it back up.

[RonSouther]

Originally Posted by opaque

I read this somewhere in the internet and think it's true. I really do not think the motivational speakers are making any real change in people's lives. They talk, they write and earn a good fortune for themselves.

People who are dependent on these books tend to read them often without putting any real effort to make changes in their own lives. It becomes an addiction for them and they keep coming back to the programs.

When was the last time you saw someone who became a millionaire on reading a self help book?

Almost all the self help industry is well crafted logic that gives the mind something fresh to become infatuated about.

The person is happy for the duration of the infatuation. It's a mind game and the mind is really greedy to acquire happiness. So greedy that it will pay big bucks to purchase well crafted ideas.

To really transcend misery, the mind/ego has to be transcended and the mind will put up a fight. Those that are working hard to expose the mind will not normally get a large following of the masses.

A Socrates and a Jesus are executed because they didn't play the ego game of pop psychology. Anyone that is working against ego will be hung in some way.

To make in in "self help", one has to strengthen the customer's ego, not crucify it.

Tolle is the only contemporary anti-ego teacher that I know that is mainstream and I believe it's in part due to his soft message. He's not a hammer and he got a huge backer in Oprah.

The number of true seekers of truth are miniscule relative to the whole population.

That organized religions have such mass followings also speaks to the ego support that the mind craves. Beliefs don't require transformation, just acceptance. Ideas are accepted, beliefs are ideas, not life. Pop psych is an idea and it sells. It's really the next phase of religion. The shrinks have replaced the priests and make a ton of money doing so.

[thehawkman]

Sadly, I have to agree. If you really wanted to get self-help advice, you'd be better off getting it from someone who really made a lot of money in other ways (and/or achieved success - sometimes they're not exactly the same - for instance none of the moderately famous actors may be as rich as Bill Gates, but they are probably more in tune with what they wanted out of life, hence more successful). Assuming of course they would be willing to give it, because in my experience you have to kiss a lot of ass in such a case, and with no guarantee of getting anything in return.

[Vaganova]

I've seen 2 types of self help books: technical assistance books and conceptual assistance books.

If you're writing a technical assistance book then no, self help books definitely don't only assist the author. Examples of technical assistance books are "how to buy a house in Milwaukee", "how to put in guitar strings"? While they don't make the person reading them rich (you put in strings...), they definitely help.

Conceptual assistance books generally don't work very well. You may have read a book that helped you quit smoking, but then again, watching Pooh Bear in the right mood might get you to quit smoking.

The movie that has really helped my business... has nothing to do with business. It's a random movie I watched in history class about Saudi Arabia.

[Moriarty]

Originally Posted by opaque

I read this somewhere in the internet and think it's true. I really do not think the motivational speakers are making any real change in people's lives. They talk, they write and earn a good fortune for themselves.

People who are dependent on these books tend to read them often without putting any real effort to make changes in their own lives. It becomes an addiction for them and they keep coming back to the programs.

When was the last time you saw someone who became a millionaire on reading a self help book?

Actually, I'll put my hand up for this. Not for myself, but for one of my children. His first and only novel was a self-help book like you mentioned and it helped cement his intent.

Its not about the the contents of the novel, but the attitude the individual carries! There is the difference!