#26: REDEFINING THE SELF HELP INDUSTRY

One of the things I love about the self help industry is how it has made us so inspiring and motivating in our affairs. I mean it. If you don't get what I'm saying, I suggest you check out the rate at which people flood their timelines with motivational or inspirational posts like never before.

But come to think of this...

We've witnessed heartbreaks on whatsapp status. We've also witnessed circumstances where a person does some stupid shit and ends up uploading motivational quotes just to validate how he feels. We've seen scenarios like this many times and it keeps occurring. 

Okay, let's pretend you're a girl and your boyfriend broke up with you for some reason he's been complaining to you about for so long. He's been trying to get you to admit your flaws so you both can move the relationship to the next level but you failed to listen.

After several attempts, he decided to break up with you. And since you're so cut up in the motivational mawkishness of validating your feelings and pushing the blame on others without assessing yourself, you go on saying “You can replace me but you can never find my type...I love the woman I'm becoming."

What! How does that even relate? Instead of addressing your problems and trying to understand the situation, you're busy validating your emotions so that you can feel good. 

It's as if there is a motivational quote or post to support whatever you want to believe in. If you believe in some stupid cause, there's a quote out there to support what you believe in and if otherwise, you'll still find the right dose to validate your feelings.  

It's amazing. In fact, I love it. But wait, isn't that too much? If everyone is trying to be motivational and inspirational all the time, then what exactly is so special about it?. 

Let me guess...

You like motivational posts because it makes you feel better about how messed up your life is. It gives you hope when you're in despair. To cut it short, it gives you a renewed perspective and gives you a sense of purpose when you think there's none. 

These could be some of the reasons why everyone is trying to flood everywhere with motivational posts. It's a good thing as I said earlier, but the thing is, I'm not buying the whole idea anymore because It makes us feel good for the meantime without really addressing our problems, thus making us to keep moving in this vicious circle of shit-talking ourselves with motivational crap. 

If I tell you believe in yourself, there's no limit to what you can achieve, that's me motivating you. However, looking closely, you'll realize I didn't really explain to you what it takes to believe in yourself, why you should believe in yourself, is it even worth it to believe in yourself. 

Oh! How about the limiting factors to what you can achieve? Have you thought of that? What if the path you're trying to follow is the wrong one? I suppose there's no limit to the failure you can achieve also (I bet you didn't see that coming).

You see, it goes either way. Clearly, I didn't tell you all that. I only told you to believe in yourself and there's no limit to what you can achieve.

I'm not saying that's not true. What I'm saying is there's need to look beyond this motivational posts that we all like when we want to evaluate our lives.

What do you think? Where do we draw the line when we read motivational and inspirational posts?

Truth be told, there's a need to redefine the perspectives we have about the self help industry. If not now, when?