Why Those Success Books Never Really Work For You

Image by Marcus Quigmire via Wikipedia Commons / CC BY-SA 2.0

By Sukh Singh, Associate Partner, Lighthouse International

"Change—real change—comes from the inside out. It doesn’t come from hacking at the leaves of attitude and behavior with quick fix personality ethic techniques. It comes from striking at the root—the fabric of our thought, the fundamental, essential paradigms, which give definition to our character and create the lens through which we see the world."

- Stephen Covey

The desire to learn from legends is what sells tens of millions of biographies, autobiographies and success books every year. You probably own at least two or three of them! 🙂 How to be totally rid of your fears, become confident, get your dream partner, dream job and dream home and earn £1 million in 10 simple steps....

Those personal development books that promise the world - if you just follow the steps. But it begs the question, why aren't more people much happier and successful if there is so much advice out there?

Here's a reality check...

Did you know that on average only 10% of people who buy personal/professional development book make it past the first chapter! Even fewer end up completing them. The truth is, while they can offer some help, they are definitely not the solution to your problems.

1. Your Book Can't Hear You When You Need Help

Books do one thing really well. They tell you stuff. So much stuff that will keep you busy for years. But what happens if you have a question or when you didn't quite understand that last paragraph and need help to figure it out? Books are limited, their communication is one-way. Moreover, there's no one to shake you up when you just don't feel like applying what you've read because... well, you just don't feel like it. It's a book - it's not going to help you when you really need help, unless you pick it up!

2. It's Really Hard To Follow Through!

Often we buy these books because of that legend that's on the cover, or those 10 steps that seem so easy to apply. We know they work. But then we ask ourselves inside... can I make this work? What if I fail miserably? Am I wasting my time with this stuff? Maybe I need a different book...? We all have these kind of thoughts and before long, we end up thinking 'yeah, this is great, but I probably won't make this last more than a month.' No legend ever in the history of human existence ever succeeded with just a book.

3. They Say Similar Things

Have you ever read a book or been to a seminar and thought 'this is so similar to that other book I read last month. Amazing how they say the same thing!' Why is that? Success and happiness are based on fundamental, timeless principles of life that never change. So it's not so much about whether the book will work, but again, is it right for us and can we apply the wisdom in it?

So How CAN We Live And Apply These Books?

The reality is, no matter what tool, help and support you have, it's always going to come down to whether you really want to change. So here are a few questions to help you...

• Do I really want to make a change? -  Very simply, we can talk and read about change. We can think about change. But we all have to eventually start. If we don't, we'll just get what we've always got before, and nothing will really, truly change. 
• When am I going to make a change? You're never going to be fully 'ready' to take a step beyond books. There will always be an element of risk and uncertainty. There will always be fear. But there will always be a drive and level of determination. As Tony Robbins once said, "When would 'now' be a good time?" 
• What help do I need? Ask any legend and they'll tell you not to do this journey on your own. Get help - a mentor, your friends, a coach, a network. And if you need ideas on where to look, feel free to ask, we'll happily share our advice and experience...Click here to learn more about the mentoring and support we offer... 

Here's our Head Mentor, Paul Waugh to explain more about who we can help at Lighthouse International & The Legends Report

Learn From the Greats as a Member of the Legends Report...