I don’t know why we keep publishing self-help books.
Myself included.
I recently binged a podcast that shared a series of remarkable stories of people who had overcome extreme obstacles to accomplish amazing things. The particulars of each story couldn’t have been more different: An athlete on the way to the NFL who became paralyzed. A woman who had both feet amputated. A guy who got busted for drugs and sentenced to 65 years in prison.
Different races, different genders, different backgrounds, different challenges.
But if you pay attention, the advice they give is the same: Change your thoughts. Do hard things. That’s it. The words might vary, but that’s how everyone who achieved some form of greatness does it.
We are always looking for the hack, even though deep down, we already know what to do. But it’s difficult, so we trick ourselves into thinking there must be some knowledge we don’t have. On the lookout for something that requires a little less effort on our part, we search for another book, another guru, another miracle product as seen on TV to deliver the transformation we seek. Some secret or shortcut we haven’t uncovered yet.
No. The secret isn’t a secret.
To get from where you are to where you want to be requires a change.
You have to change your thoughts.
You have to change your actions.
That’s it. That’s every success story ever told and every self-help book ever written in a nutshell.
First, your thoughts. You have to believe something is possible before you’ll ever try. You have to change your thoughts from lack to abundance. You have to see yourself as a victor, not a victim. You have to believe your life can get better before it can.
Then you have to change your actions and do hard things. You have to put in the time, lift the weights, run the miles, do the work. There may be a time-tested recipe or a formula to follow, but nothing worthwhile and lasting comes easy. Ever.
Change your thoughts.
Do hard things.
If you want a third step, practice gratitude. This is another common theme among successful people, and for good reason. Gratitude is the fuel that keeps you going when things get tough. It overpowers fear and discouragement, helping you see how far you’ve come and reminding you of the good things you already have.
We don’t need another book, another podcast, or another speaker telling us what we already know.
And yet we continue writing books and creating podcasts and giving speeches.
And we should.
Every version of this age-old wisdom is like a key. Each key is shaped slightly differently based on who is sharing this wisdom and how they share it. And every heart can only be unlocked with certain keys.
This is why I’ll continue writing books.
Because I know my own life has been changed when I heard someone else say something in a way that finally clicked for me. And I know that my unique slant on the same wisdom revealed a million times before might be the key that unlocks the truth in someone else, setting them free.
Maybe it’s an affirmation of something they already suspected
A reminder of something they already know to be true.
Or a way of seeing that finally convinces someone—maybe even you— that your life really can be better and that you do have what it takes to do hard things.
By the way, you’re a key for someone else, too.
🤔 I wonder…who has unlocked a great truth for you, simply by the way they said it?