Your Personal Success

As we stand at the threshold of a new century, the cult of positive thinking and personal development has garnered millions of adherents. Each day births a myriad of fresh creations brimming with recipes for happiness and prosperity, often contributing to the life successes of their creators but not always serving as a reliable source of positive change for their readers. 

I'm not suggesting we cease reading books on how to transform our lives and go our separate ways. I'm emphasizing that reading about change isn't sufficient on its own – we must also put those insights into action. So many books about motivation, success, and achievement urgently demand that readers possess a strict set of ideals. If everyone writes and talks about one version of success, then buying a little house in the countryside to grow cucumbers (not for success and sales but for oneself), for example, seems like something you shouldn't aspire to.  

As you sit in your kitchen every day sipping your coffee or tea, you may ponder how little you have achieved in life. In movies, everyone is cool. In books, everyone has a goal. On Instagram, everyone is successful. And you feel like you've done too little. Too little compared to what? 

A book? Your mom's friend's son? The ten commandments? Don't compare. You do as much as you have resources and the desire for. The idea that you should be a superhero or superwoman is also a narrative propagated by success stories on TV, social media, and books.