Hey Tribe,
Welcome back!
Following hacks, tricks and a generic written program for a mass audience is all very well.
A person starts with a good intention - to lose weight, save more, be a ‘success’.
Blueprints of someone else’s path might seem like a sure thing to reach your desired end state, but if you have not built your inner character then this strategy is doomed to fail.
Step-by-step guidance does not give you what you are looking for if you lack self-discipline, determination, and the ability to think for yourself.
Next time you go in your local book shop, do me a favour, head towards the self-help section.
You will see everything from building confidence, to eating disorders, to social media addiction.
Whatever you are looking for there is a book offering the solution to most problems (though porn addiction has not made the high street yet!)
Modern self-help follows a simple formula:
• Book introduces a scenario
• Explains why it is a problem
• Gives a solution to said problem using the authors ideal system
• Provides steps for the reader to resolve the problem
The McProgram approach have conquered the self-improvement sphere, whether it’s your online guru offering his latest course to the first ten people at a discounted price of $297 or Insanity DVDs putting you ‘Insane’ shape, all offer promises of fast, mapped out solutions.
The problem with actionable advice to a mass audience is you cannot guarantee results as it doesn’t tailor to an individual’s specific needs or understand who they are as a person.
Following a strict McProgram defined by rules is not improvement as they fail to empower you to understand how change works - your following someone else’s formula to achievement.
The probability dictates it will end in failure, as you quit when you realise it’s not for you, or as the program comes to an end, everything returns to original equilibrium as they fail to instil a sense of habit.
A person may then go onto the next McProgram to fill the void, which is great news for content creators as they have the next solution to push to the addict.
It’s a pretty simplistic approach to tell someone to do 100 press-ups a day, take cold showers, drink black coffee, approach a girl by asking where the nearest pet shop is, without questioning
“why does this help me get to the desired end result.”
My preference has grown for books focused on ideas, which allow you to think – the difference between ‘Practice’ and ‘Principle’
Practice and Principle
Stephen Covey discusses these concepts as a basis in his book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, where he notes earlier self-improvement books focused on Principle, whereas books in the twentieth century evolved to focus on Practice.
A book focused on Practice is your guideline book on a subject matter – essentially a map guiding the reader how to be better at something by following exact instructions.
Principle books you might consider more spiritual, think of the classic philosophy or Christian text where a particular ethos is discussed and the words are free to be interpreted by the reader.
There is nothing wrong with Practice books, but without development of your Principle this impacts the outcome of how these are used, which a lot of creators of McPrograms struggle to delve into.
Men simply don’t think
Listening to the Earl Nightingale talk The Strangest Secret he recalls an interview with the Nobel Prize winner Albert Schweitzer who when asked the question “…what’s wrong with men today?”
He responded:
“Men simply don't think”
This seemed apt in the amount of content produced in today’s information age, with a focus on quick fixes and instant success.
The fundamental purpose of knowledge is to apply critical thinking, the downfall of the McProgram is they instruct you to follow step by step without question, with the caveat that if you don’t, you won’t reach the intended end goal.
The cynic in me feels this is a deliberately placed caveat strategically placed to cover the creator’s arse when things do not work out for the consumer.
Content focused on Practice are always best approached with care and should not be followed as a rule for living your life.
My personal preference is to read these types of books and pick and choose the concepts I’m comfortable with and mould them to work for me.
Next time you think about buying into a McProgram whether it is 30 Days To Alpha, The Wolverine Workout, Invest like Buffet, whatever - remember success is not guaranteed and you should focus on building your character, think more and work out your own path.
Character is developed through time, experiences, lifelong learning, mistakes, and being willing to try anything to be a better person than you were yesterday.
And if you are reading this thinking “what a load of bollocks” congratulations you are thinking for yourself.
I'd love to hear your feedback, please do contact me on Twitter to let me know what you think of today’s article.
Until next time,