Down with self-help books, and down with ‘tips and tricks’ to improve your life.
No one knows who you are, no one knows what motivates you. No one knows what your thoughts, aspirations, dreams and goals are. No one knows what you desire, what you fantasize about, and what gets you moving. No one knows how certain things make you feel, what your social life is, what makes you happy or depressed.
Who are they to teach you how to live? Who are they to decide whether you are right or in the wrong. Who are they to decide whether you are ‘productive’ or not?
Enough with these anecdotal, pseudo-scientific, ‘studies-show’ lists and ‘tips’ that tell you how to live your life.
If I want to wake up late, eat fast food, and consume caffeine everyday, that is my damn choice. If I feel like sipping herbal tea at 4 in the morning like these self-help gurus, I’ll do so as I damn well please.
Every individual deals with unique circumstances, and has a complex network of thoughts and ideas that no one but that individual can navigate.
Reading long lists about ‘becoming more productive’ or ‘creating value’ won’t mean a thing to most people, because again, different, highly subjective circumstances are involved that make people do things.
Of course, many successful people have worked hard and can offer valuable advice, but in the end, relying on tips completely and forming an overly optimistic and narrow perception of what ‘success’ and ‘productivity’ means is a bad idea.
Do your thing and shut people up when you think they’re not helping with their rubbish.
That doesn’t mean don’t listen to others and be an A-class jerk, but simply learning when to overlook advice and start focusing on yourself, as an individual.
Here’s a simple test: whenever you’re doing something related to ‘self-improvement’ and ‘boosting productivity’ and that thing actually ends up demotivating, discouraging, and demoralizing you, you know you need to take a step back and rethink your priorities.
And for the love of God, stop reading self-help books because : a.They’re painfully boring and b.They’re too generalized to actually help you. A bonus c. The pseudoscience(Someone told me about Rhonda Byrne’s little shtick about how thinking of things will make them appear or happen or something. I kept thinking how my high-school crush and I would end up together, and surprise! Didn’t happen. Please clap!)
So go ahead, stop worrying about who will cry when you die, and start thinking when was the last time you enjoyed a quick laugh. Go on YouTube, spend time on the internet, and maybe when you have actually figured out what you would actually enjoy and love doing, then come back and ‘be productive’.
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The ridiculousness of race.
Understanding Life on Mars by David Bowie.
Sometimes you’re just not lucky enough.
No, the English-speaking world is not the ‘New Soviet Union’.
Originally published at medium.com