Self-help is a ten-billion-dollar industry in the US alone on annual basis accounting for 2.5% of all book sales. In addition, there exist TV programmes, online products, executive, coaching, speeches, yoga and corporate training programmes. Unfortunately for a lot of the users, a lot of the information being extolled at such sessions or books is based around half-baked truth. Sometimes, even misleading information is touted out. This is why those buying self-help books are usually repeat buyers. One such myth is about consistency that is apparently to be maintained at all times, though thorough research actually confirms that variability in performance will always be there. A second such myth is the requirement for benchmarking against others. This is not the right approach as instead measuring against one’s own previous performance is a far better yardstick. Another belief is that successful people need to abide by a particular style and strategy, though in reality one needs to divide the risks by incorporating a variety of skills. These self-help books also claim that successful people chase challenging targets. This is untrue as a lot of time gets needlessly wasted by trying to perfect something out of one’s reach. Instead one needs to focus on areas of existing competence.

Source:https://hbr.org/2018/02/4-self-improvement-myths-that-may-be-holding-you-back

Uploaded Date:08 February 2018