My friend Lisa says that there are more books on self-help than anything else.
Lisa should know. She eats right, dresses well, and talks sweeter than a candy salesman at a dental convention.
She’s been to more seminars than most caterers. And she’s always looking for another body part to get fixed, tucked, expanded, or reduced.
Lisa separates her improvement library into five book categories: 1. “I’m in bad shape, and I need to get better fast...like by tomorrow.”
2. “I feel really bad about myself, but maybe it’s not my fault, which would make me feel really good about myself.”
3. “I need to find my ‘special calling,’ which has nothing to do with how my cell phone rings.”
4. “I honestly think I am a genius, and would like confirmation.”
5. “There is a success ‘secret,’ and if I find it I can make a lot of money, which means I can buy more selfhelp books, which can make me even cooler.”
My neighbor Stan belongs to a self-help support group. When he gets overconfident, he calls another member who convinces him he needs more workshops.
“What worries me,” says Stan, “is that just about the time my mind starts to succeed, my body will start to fail.”