Do You Read Self-Help Books or Collect Shelf-Help Books?

Do you, like me, buy many more self-help books than you actually read? Turn them from SHELF-help back into SELF-help.Do you know the difference between self-help books and shelf-help books?
Do you spend a lot of money on self-help books that you then never read? That’s shelf-help. I don’t remember who I heard say that originally, but I really like it. You buy a self-help book and give it to the shelf. It’s now shelf-help. If you don’t read the book then it certainly isn’t going help you.
I’ve spent a lot on shelf-help in the past. Now I’m dusting them off and turning them back into self-help books.

Get More of Your Self-Help Books Read

It’s been a while since I wrote my previous post here about how to get more reading done. Basically, the experts say that you should get up and move every hour, which I have been doing for a few months now. I got bored of just walking around so I read while I pace through my kitchen and living room every hour. It’s amazing how much you can read in just 10 minutes every hour.
If you read my previous post then you know that it was a kidney stone that started me on this path. I finally got the all clear a week ago. No more stones. I’m going to keep on with walking every hour and drinking plenty of water though. I will not go through that whole process again. Besides, like I already said, it’s a great time to do my reading.

My Self-Help Book Collection

I have collected a lot of books over the years. I’ve read many of them but there are a lot that have become shelf-help instead. I bought them because they either looked interesting or somebody that I respect recommended them.
Some of the books have to do with my network marketing business – mostly how to write content that converts to sales or sign-ups.
Most of them though are more what you would consider self-help books. They include topics like the Law of Attraction, manifestation, positive thinking, and that kind of thing.

What I’ve Read Since My Previous Post

As I said last time, I am reading one chapter every day for a week in both The Science of Getting Rich by Wallace Wattles and the Master Key System by Charles F. Haanel. These are probably among the best self-help books of all time.
The Master Key System each week has an exercise for you to work on every day to help you gain control of your body, mind and thoughts. One of the exercises is to try to clear your mind of any thoughts and see how long you can maintain that. It isn’t easy, at least not for very long. Actually, the point is to not attach to the thoughts as they pass through.
Picture yourself in a small pen with several little kittens or puppies, whichever you find most irresistible. Now try to ignore the little critters as they crawl over you and play around you. You find yourself watching them and when one crawls into your lap you just have to hold it and pet it, right? You’ve attached to the thought. Put it down and start over. Again.

The Power of Your Subconscious Mind by Dr. Joseph Murphy

This book has a very similar style to You Can If You Think You Can by Normal Vincent Peale. They are both filled with stories of people that the authors have collected over time and that demonstrate the point that the author wants to make in each section.  But where Peale’s book was more about positive thinking, Dr. Murphy’s book is about the power of your subconscious mind and how it works.

Seth Speaks by Jane Roberts

Now this was an interesting book. I thought it was very dense and at times difficult to read. It will definitely take a few readings to absorb all of the information that it contained.
First, this book is channeled. A non-physical being called Seth dictated the book through Jane Roberts to her husband. I’m not completely sure what I think of channeling, whether I fully believe in it or not, but I’m open-minded enough about it for now.
The book is better than 400 pages long and contains a lot of information about what we are as humans, how we work, where we come from and where we’re going. You’ve probably heard the idea that we decide what we want to accomplish each lifetime before we are born into it. That’s one of the ideas in this book too.
When we die we return to another level of reality and decide what we want to do next, live another physical life or move on to something else.
Most of what I got out of this book is agreement with a lot of the other things that I am reading. We manifest our experience from our subconscious mind and dominant thoughts. We have more abilities than what we commonly accept and we could use them if only we would get out of our own way.

Mutant Message Down Under by Marlo Morgan

I’m currently reading this book and I will probably finish it tomorrow. It is a quick read compared to the Seth book.
Mutant Message is the story of the time that the author spent traveling through the Australian Outback with a tribe of “nomadic Aboriginals.”
The message that she brings back runs on two levels. On one it is a criticism of how the so-called “civilized” white people have treated the native populations in the past, both in Australia and in the United States.

These [Aborigines] say they have been here for all time. Scientists know they have inhabited Australia for at least fifty thousand years. It is truly amazing that after fifty thousand years they have destroyed no forests, polluted no water, endangered  no species, caused no contamination, and all the while they have received abundant food and shelter. They have laughed a lot and cried very little. They live long, productive, healthy lives and leave spiritually confident.

On the second level, and most important going forward, it shows us how possible it is for us to live compatibly with the earth, with the other plants and animals, and the other people that inhabit it.
Disclaimer: The book links above are affiliate links to Amazon. If you order a book through them I may earn a small commission. My commission does not affect the price you pay.

Your Turn

Do you have self-help books that have spent their entire existence holding down your shelves? Do you think it’s time to take them out, dust them off, and see what you can learn from them?
Share your thoughts in a comment below. Have you ever tried to clear your mind? How successful were you? I’d love to hear your stories.
When you’re done, please share this post with your followers on social media. Thanks for reading.

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