Simply..motivational....

5/5/2019

Regular readers will know I like motivational books (The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron, The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo - loved them both.)
You may also remember I don't like to call them self-help books because I fear that makes me sound too needy though I expect I am just as needy as the next person :-).

Anyway, I have used this one in the past, working on it with a friend and finding it really useful. The idea is to look back at your achievements and disappointments over the last year, see what you have learned and make plans and create goals for the year ahead.

It focusses the mind, and I'm enjoying answering the ten questions nd sharing my thoughts with the friend who is doing it too.

Do you like self-help - oops, I mean motivational books? And are there any you would recommend?

If you would like to live a more poetic life you might find motivation here with my friend Lynne in her new venture!

10 Comments

Lotta

6/5/2019 02:03:17 am

I confess I'm not really a fan of self-help/motivational books. Occasionally I find something that speaks to me like Marie Kondo's book, but never follow them to the letter. They generally bring out the rebel in me! I think at difficult times or when we are feeling stuck a good self-help book can trigger something that helps us move forward, but generally they make me feel that there is always something else to 'do' in order to be a better person!
I do wonder as well whether some actually perpetuate the acquisition urge... having got rid of all our stuff and with diminished desire for physical possessions, we are now seeking 'more' in the form of personal development, spiritual realisation, a quieter mind, a better body, a more fulfilling life, a more productive business... etc, etc... Not that any of those are necessarily bad things, it's just that that genre sometimes seems like advertising in a different costume, a sort of spiritual commercial, often written with the best of intentions, but still inadvertently encouraging us to stay caught in the circle of 'not enough'.

And I didn't mean that to be a negative response! There are some good books out there, and if they help, fantastic! I'm just working out some of my own feelings on the subject, especially why when I see a book of that genre these days my initial response is: Oh god, not ANOTHER self-help book!! :-)

And thank you for the nudge about the bedside table... done! Will hopefully post later...

Freda

6/5/2019 02:29:11 am

I can see where you are coming from Lotta! I think what I respond to (in the good ones) is the enthusiasm and energy and desire to share...

I do treat them as a bit of fun on the whole and I love 'ideas' people!!

Looking forward to your table (you are one of my 'ideas' people).

cath

6/5/2019 11:06:39 am

Living the Simple Life by Elaine St James, first read in 1999, is among the motivational books I still own and have worked through it more than once. I kept The Happiness Project and Happier at Home by Gretchen Rubin hoping one day I'd allow those books to take me through the year. Didn't happen so far. I own quite a few books by Julia Cameron, worked with The Artist's Way, Finding Water and The Artist's Way at Work, liked them all.

I followed the link. Of course I did. How could I not reading 'poetic life'?

cathy

6/5/2019 01:49:20 pm

omigosh, cath! I have elaine st James's book, too. in 1992 I used her guidelines to purge 35 boxes & bags from my home. didn't miss a thing, either, once I was done.

i'm sorta like lotta on self help books. while I like to look through them, for the most part, I take what appeals to me & tweak it to fit my needs. on the other hand, I'm a sucker for those 'quizzes' (don't know what else to call them) where you answer the questions, tally your answers & find out what it means when you have more A answers, or B answers or C. Not that I do anything w the results, I just like seeing what they say about me.

Freda

6/5/2019 02:58:42 pm

ohmigosh that is a lot of boxes and bags! I liked the quizzes on Gretchen Rubin's site but it's a long time since I did one..

Freda

6/5/2019 02:56:27 pm

I mostly pass them on and kept The Happiness Project for a long time, but eventually it went too. I've kept the two I mention above and this is my second copy of Best Year Yet - so easy to get a clean used copy these days....
I suspect you lead a poetic life :-)

Linda

6/5/2019 02:38:06 pm

My favourite ever - The Creative Habit: Learn It and Use It for Life by Twyla Tharp.

Freda

6/5/2019 02:59:27 pm

That was a keeper - what an inspirational woman!

Julia

7/5/2019 03:24:17 am

Confession: secret addiction to simplifying books! And blogs! Long before i read and re-read elaine st james, i listened to a karen kingston audiobook, over and over...it was called clear your clutter with feng shui... there have been others: peter walsh had a good one called: does this clutter make my butt look fat? And there are a couple of good downsizing books to help one on going through a parent’s estate. I am a little concerned about what i will “work” on, if i ever get my STUFF together!

Elizabeth

17/5/2019 05:40:19 am

I am often suspicious of motivational books, and share much of Lotta's response, though have valued the two you mention first. With this one it is the word 'successful' in the title that raises my hackles. Is that how we think about years?

Simply..motivational....

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