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As someone who has read a lot of non-fiction, my advice is know when to stop.
Somebody asked on this forum, what book to read after TMF , and got very insightful advice: don't read any. Just take action.
Just because a book is in a self-improvement section at Barnes & Noble does not mean that it is useful to you. Nor does it mean that the author knows more than you about the subject of self-improvement, self-control, willpower, influence, persuasion.
Some of the most persuasive people I know never read books on persuasion.
Some of the people with the strongest character I know never read books on willpower.
Some of the people with the best habits I know never read books on habits.
Some of the most enlightened people I know never read books on enlightenment.
And yes, some of the best business people I know did not start by reading books on business.
Consider this: books are products written for a mass audience. The bigger your market, the bigger the potential for your product.
Therefore, most books are aimed at mediocrities, people who aren't very good, don't aspire to be very good and won't ever be very good, at least not in that potential field.
Why? Because
- there often isn't a market
- because the best people are busy being excellent, while mediocre people are writing books about it
- because the best people are often not the best at writing
- because the truths of being excellent are often controversial, in many domains. They are simply not politically correct to make it acceptable to put them in a book.
There are occasionally niche books that do tell the truth and are written to help you become excellent. Aside from MJ's books, I can mention "Relax into stretch" by Pavel Tsatsouline and the related "Stretching scientifically" by Thomas Kurz - they wrote about stuff that works, is the exact opposite of much conventional wisdom, and is often not even known to professional gymnasts and athletes because many of those folks are genetically flexible, and children can learn to stretch by sheer brute force and repetition.
However, those books only make sense if you combine 1 portion of reading with 99 portions of doing. Meaning, you spend 1 hour reading, then spend 99 hours putting it into action. Otherwise it just becomes another fairy tale in your mind, which will make you arrogant but still incompetent. It is better to be completely ignorant than to have some random pieces of knowledge floating in your head than you never put into practice, and therefore that will never become real knowledge. In that case do yourself a favor and read some actual fairy tales, or go see some musicals. You will learn more and enjoy it more too.
If you really enjoy reading philosophy, why not read some classics? Aristotle? Confucius? perhaps Camus or Sartre, Karl Popper?
Then at least you know you are reading philosophy instead of confusing yourself you are reading something useful when it isn't.
There are other exceptions, if you are dealing with a specific non-mainstream issue. For example, you have a disability or have experienced abuse as a child and you are reading up on it. This is specific, targeted advice that is not meant for mass consumption.
But you don't need another book on the subject of how can I be a better human? If you really want one, find a religion. They have at least been time-tested.
Better yet, become good at something. At business, at coding, at playing piano, at raising children. If you enjoy nonfiction, read something useful for your domain. But please, stop reading abstract self-improvement stuff.
If you want better habits, find a coach.
If you want to stop judging yourself, find a therapist.
If you want to understand how the best of the best approach a given domain, find one of them and ask. Before that cultivate yourself into a person that they would want to befriend, or earn enough money to pay for advice. You won't learn it from the book - you won't learn it at all except through years of your own practice.
Stop reading advice from other people's lives and make something with your own. Get experience so you can give people "success advice." You will never truly learn if you are always waiting to be told, what to do next.
Somebody asked on this forum, what book to read after TMF , and got very insightful advice: don't read any. Just take action.
Just because a book is in a self-improvement section at Barnes & Noble does not mean that it is useful to you. Nor does it mean that the author knows more than you about the subject of self-improvement, self-control, willpower, influence, persuasion.
Some of the most persuasive people I know never read books on persuasion.
Some of the people with the strongest character I know never read books on willpower.
Some of the people with the best habits I know never read books on habits.
Some of the most enlightened people I know never read books on enlightenment.
And yes, some of the best business people I know did not start by reading books on business.
Consider this: books are products written for a mass audience. The bigger your market, the bigger the potential for your product.
Therefore, most books are aimed at mediocrities, people who aren't very good, don't aspire to be very good and won't ever be very good, at least not in that potential field.
Why? Because
- there often isn't a market
- because the best people are busy being excellent, while mediocre people are writing books about it
- because the best people are often not the best at writing
- because the truths of being excellent are often controversial, in many domains. They are simply not politically correct to make it acceptable to put them in a book.
There are occasionally niche books that do tell the truth and are written to help you become excellent. Aside from MJ's books, I can mention "Relax into stretch" by Pavel Tsatsouline and the related "Stretching scientifically" by Thomas Kurz - they wrote about stuff that works, is the exact opposite of much conventional wisdom, and is often not even known to professional gymnasts and athletes because many of those folks are genetically flexible, and children can learn to stretch by sheer brute force and repetition.
However, those books only make sense if you combine 1 portion of reading with 99 portions of doing. Meaning, you spend 1 hour reading, then spend 99 hours putting it into action. Otherwise it just becomes another fairy tale in your mind, which will make you arrogant but still incompetent. It is better to be completely ignorant than to have some random pieces of knowledge floating in your head than you never put into practice, and therefore that will never become real knowledge. In that case do yourself a favor and read some actual fairy tales, or go see some musicals. You will learn more and enjoy it more too.
If you really enjoy reading philosophy, why not read some classics? Aristotle? Confucius? perhaps Camus or Sartre, Karl Popper?
Then at least you know you are reading philosophy instead of confusing yourself you are reading something useful when it isn't.
There are other exceptions, if you are dealing with a specific non-mainstream issue. For example, you have a disability or have experienced abuse as a child and you are reading up on it. This is specific, targeted advice that is not meant for mass consumption.
But you don't need another book on the subject of how can I be a better human? If you really want one, find a religion. They have at least been time-tested.
Better yet, become good at something. At business, at coding, at playing piano, at raising children. If you enjoy nonfiction, read something useful for your domain. But please, stop reading abstract self-improvement stuff.
If you want better habits, find a coach.
If you want to stop judging yourself, find a therapist.
If you want to understand how the best of the best approach a given domain, find one of them and ask. Before that cultivate yourself into a person that they would want to befriend, or earn enough money to pay for advice. You won't learn it from the book - you won't learn it at all except through years of your own practice.
Stop reading advice from other people's lives and make something with your own. Get experience so you can give people "success advice." You will never truly learn if you are always waiting to be told, what to do next.
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