Americans spend over 11 Billion dollars a year on “self-help” products. But I call most of it “SHELF-Help” — because most of it goes on the shelf, along with all the other stuff you’ve bought!
If you’re like most of my coaching clients, you’ve spent lots of money on “shelf-help”. But the REAL question is: Why, if we’re spending all this money, are so few of us actually living the life of our dreams?
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To answer this question, we must first ask a deeper question: What Really Causes Human Behavior? Here’s the simplest answer I’ve found to that question:
Picture a balance, like the scales of justice in a courtroom. On one plate, you have Your Why-To’s: your perceived BENEFIT of doing that thing. On the other plate, you have Your Why-Not-To’s: your perceived COST of doing that thing.
For example, why are you reading this right now? Because you perceive that there are more Why-To’s than Why-Not-To’s. Your Why-To’s might include:
* I want to be more successful.
* So I can make more money.
* So I can take care of my family.
* So I can be happier.
Your Why-Not-To’s might include:
* I have a million other things I could be doing.
* Why should I listen to this guy?
* What if doesn’t work for me?
* Did I mention all the other things I could be doing right now?
Your mind is an infinite weighing machine. Every decision you make is caused by your Why-To’s and Why-Not-To’s:
* Where you live
* What you wear
* What you eat (and how often you eat it)
* What kind of car you drive
* What you do for work
* What you had for breakfast this morning
In fact, every decision you’ve ever made was based upon your perceived Why-To’s and Why-Not-To’s: the reasons you thought you should do the thing vs. the reasons you thought you shouldn’t do that thing.
In my next column, I’ll show you how your Why-To’s and Why-Not-To’s work together to unwittingly sabotage you and why they hold the cure to shelf-help.
Noah’s Note: Don’t buy any more SHELF-HELP until you learn how to help yourself to SELF-help.
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Noah St. John is the inventor of Afformations and bestselling author of The Secret Code of Success: 7 Hidden Steps to More Wealth and Happiness (HarperCollins). Noah is the world’s most-quoted expert on how to clear your head trash. He’s appeared in over 2,000 media outlets including CNN, ABC, NBC, The Washington Post and PARADE Magazine. Visit his web site to get FREE Access to his online video training series designed to accelerate your income, boost your Self-confidence, and make Success automatic.