The first time I read a self-help book, I was 22. Recently unemployed and questioning my entire life's impetus and existence, I needed to find answers somewhere. Why was I associating my self-worth with my employment status? How could I stop flailing around in mediocrity and achieve my full potential? Did I even have a work ethic? I yearned for a quick pick-me-up that would help me identify habits that were causing my stagnation, fix my inability to recognize my own self-worth, and help me gain an understanding of my purpose (because it sure as hell was not going to be a self-indulgent, shell of a human who was obsessed with the idea of being special).
This existential spiral is what brings me to this (in my mind) rather ambitious goal. This series of blog posts won't be book reviews. I do not claim to be an authority on good writing, nor do I believe I am the source for recommendations for a book that will change your life. My brief foray into this world has taught me that self-help books guide you with a heavy hand of spirituality, and these writers possess an uncanny ability to articulate things any self-aware, relatively sane human has knowledge of. Some books make you feel heard and answer all your questions because they're framed in the way you digest information best, and some might solve someone else's existential dread but will feel like an utter waste of time to you.
So now, I begin this quest of creating a manifesto of sorts, sifting through the plethora of créme de la créme titles in the self-help genre in order to handpick learnings that truly resonate with me.
Through this process, I aim to learn how to live, and how to live right. I want to open myself up to the prospect of exploring and possibly achieving career highs, wild romances, deep connections, and unconditional self-love. I want to learn to deal with, and experience failures, heartbreaks, and the realization that no amount of preparation would allow me to control every aspect of my life.
This journey is for me. As I learn and grow, hopefully, some of these tactical tidbits and life-navigational nuggets resonate with you as well. First stop: "You are a badass," by Jen Sincero.
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