I have been a fan of self-help books in the past. I definitely have learned some things that help me live my life slightly better because of having read those books, but here's the trick: most of the things that are mentioned in those books are rather obvious. They do have a fancy way of putting down the obvious, and a story or two in tow to aggrandize the effect.
Being an utterly curious creature, I tend to ask myself questions which might sound strange or stupid to most. Almost every time such a question has sent me down a rabbit hole and helped me figure out a thing or two that I wasn't previously aware of.
At one point, that is what I thought I should take up as a profession - helping people figure out their lives. But as I have learned and grown; I've realized two things:
- People don't realize things unless they actively search for the answers themselves. You can't spoonfeed them.
- There's too much of show and shady stuff in this field. I would steer clear of becoming a part of it.
Not to mention that I am still trying to figure my own life out, and I don't think that I qualify to "coach" others yet. I realize that life is a journey and the entire process is about figuring things out, learning from and enjoying the experiences, one day at a time.