I enjoy self help books

I found a self help author years ago at my local bookstore. I've read all his books and have reread quite a few. His name is Wayne Dyer and unfortunately, he passed away several years ago. However, he wrote a ton of books that I now own and have found to be very helpful at certain times in my life.
At 27, I still don't have all my shit together but reading positive stuff helps.

 

Sooo like, what did they teach you and stuff?

 

I think it all centers around our thoughts that lead to feelings and behavior. I think it's important to understand our emotions and feelings come from our thoughts. He felt what other people say, think, and do don't bother us but how we react to what they say, think and do is what's important.
I could go on for hours on this topic!

 

At 59 - neither have I.
Life is indeed a journey of experiences - each of us still need Self-help books - IMO

 

I really don't like self-help books. Something about them just bothers me, and I think it stems from the people I know who love self-help books. They love to READ them, but then they don't do anything else. And a lot of the books seem to rely on shotty science or downright misleading pseudoscience.

But--if you read them and implement the strategies, then all the power to you.

 

couldn't even help himself survive?

 

I get what you mean, the folks with all the answers but not put into practice.

I don't read self help books. I have maybe 2..

One about meditation, but it's really a bigroaphy and one called "The art of not giving a f*uck" which after a few chapters I put down because I realised I didn't need it, I already was giving zero fucks. But i found the premise to be quite true at least for people wired like I am. By not giving a fuck, you just tend to live in the moment. Whether things happen or don't happen in which you're not in control in, just don't give a fuck. It's either gonna happen or not anyway, deal with that shit then, and probably sweep away most fucks you have when it does happen.

But a few chapters in I realised I didn't need the help, I was already on that same level.

 

Has any of the books you read helped you to make drastic changes in your life for the better? Or do you just enjoy reading positive things perhaps to escape the negativity for a while? All good either way.

I enjoy reading self-destructive books.

 

i think the only self help book i've actually read was the satanic bible. weird book, it really is a pretty good self help book for about the first 3/4, then it suddenly spends the rest of the book telling you how to do magic.

 

Actually I find being able to practice magick would be good self help.

I guess then, by that logic, most of my asatru and rune books could be self help.. But I'm more into hexes and curses.

There's not enough hexing and cursing these days.

 

Here's one example.. I was a big worrier at one time in my life. I've learned to get a better handle on things, especially, stuff that hasn't happened yet.
I've learned worry serves no purpose. If it's something I can do to change the outcome, I just do it. If it's something I have no control over, I just let it go. In both scenarios, worry serves no purpose.
I'm a person who reads self help books and makes changes in their life. It's been a struggle at times, but, I'm a better person in many ways.
I have other examples but don't want to sound preachy. This author's writings have made a positive difference in my life. ...and I have more things to work on!

 

I didn't know Wayne died...

 

In 2015..he was 75.

 

Now, come on dude........a fair point I suppose..

 

I remember seeing some of his talks on PBS. I think they usually showed them when they were doing fundraising.

He probably had some useful things to say, but I never paid too much attention.

Would you like to share any insights that you found particularly useful?

 

I saw alot of those PBS specials and have copies of some of his lectures, too
I would love answering that question you asked about insights I have learned ..and actually , continue to learn by rereading his books. I could talk all day on this subject. But here's a few that immediately come to mind.

Love this syllogism...
You can control your thoughts
Your feelings come from your thoughts
You can control your feelings.

The two most useless emotions. .feeling guilty about what's already happened in the past.. Worrying about what could happen in the future..

You can't control what people think, say or do.. but you can control how you react to it..
How people treat you is their karma, how you react is yours.

Here's my favorite Wayne Dyer quote. .
If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change. .

Hope this is helpful to start with. .

 

Ahhh, so he was the one who came up with that quote. I've heard it before but didn't know who came up with it.

 

yeah i live by this.
but it can be hard. i've watched my own mind trying to focus on something negative, and i'm deciding not to think about it, and i can almost HEAR my brain saying, like a small child "okay but wait let me just think about this for a minute THEN i'll stop thinking about it"

 

I just find it to be spot on in everyday real life situations.

 

I think that's so cool! -- I also think it's great that you are seeking to better yourself.