While my preferred literary genre of choice is autobiography or anything factual and informative, I do like to read some fiction. I find it therapeutic to ingrain made-up images in my mind a few minutes before I go to bed.
And then there are those rare times spent buying and reading self-help books. The whole thought of purchasing a book with the end goal of improving your personality or strengthen your character is not something to be embarrassed about. But it really depends on the book, what it wants to tell you, and why you're reading it in the first place.
Here are a few self-help books I once displayed proudly on my bedside table.
1. SKINNY BITCH. It's really a no-nonsense, tough-love guide to just being sensibly healthy. It's an easy read, no scientific jargon which I'm allergic to, and not preachy at all. It helped me realize that I was pumping my body with loads of unhealthy stuff. The authors use harsh language that would make a fat girl want to change her ways, or kill herself.
It's an amazing way to kick start a lifelong commitment to eating healthily, taking care of yourself and being in charge in the kitchen. Suddenly you want to use natural ingredients and whip up a great meal without all the oils and sugars and fats.
I read it back in 2009, and it made me skinny. I read it three years later, when I had stopped smoking and significantly reduced my dairy intake, and it helped me again. I will always revisit its pages.
2. EASY WAY TO STOP SMOKING. I read the first 75 pages of it, and realized there was nothing in it that could make me stop smoking. I knew smoking was disgusting. I knew it was a bad habit. I knew it could kill me. But I was addicted and I didn't know how to put down that cigarette. I don't think there are special methods used in this book. It's just complete common sense, and I wasn't ready to wrap my head around the actual act of quitting at the time I read it.
Many people - maybe in the millions - have read it and they swear by it. They quit successfully, and they rave about how the book changed their lives. That's great. But it didn't do anything for me.
Last year, three years after attempting to read this book, I quit smoking. I quit because I couldn't bare the thought of lighting up while many of my family members were suffering from illnesses. The least I could do was stay healthy for them. Yup. Cold turkey from the heart.
3. BOOSTING SELF ESTEEM FOR DUMMIES. Lent to me my a friend who couldn't get over a break up that left his ego on the middle of Sheikz Zayed Road, repeatedly run over by Range Rovers.
He felt it necessary to share this with me, as I was on the crossroads of something in my life at that time.
I read the first few pages. It was like a book for sociology or psychology students. Lots of lists and exercises and Venn diagrams. It threatened to crush what was left of my self-esteem.
I realized that buying a dress, putting some make up on and a night out with the girls beat this book any day. And until now I apologize to myself for laying my hands on it.
4. SIMPLIFY AND LIVE THE GOOD LIFE. Did it help me? Ish. The jury is still out on this one.
I read this when I was still living in Manila and wondering what to do with my life. With a salary that didn't enable me to make plans for the future, and bad life priorities, I don't think I maximized the tips in this book.
Bo Sanchez is brilliant and has helped a lot of people. Maybe I should read the book again to really absorb what it says. It's a good time to sort my finances and think about how to live a modest lifestyle. I don't have much as it stands, but it's good to soul-search and look at every area of my life once in a while to see where I'm at.
He offers great ways to save money, nurture your spiritual life and take it easy. I'm sure we all get the message. And a printed version of it to serve as a reminder isn't a bad idea.
Self-help books are not a bad idea. Admitting that you need a bit of help and the will to make a change are a sign of genuine strength and great humility. If you open a book and you like what it says and it eventually helps you, that's awesome. If not, bin in, give it to someone else, or let it end up at a flea market, where it can potentially transform the happy buyer's life.
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